Arborio is a type of rice used to make risotto and is vulnerable to Pyricularia oryzae, a pathogenic fungus. The pathogen can be managed with fungicides, but can otherwise ruin harvests by killing the crop. In 2017, a research team at the University of Milan used CRISPR/Cas9 to create RIS8imo, a GM type of arborio by editing three genes involved in disease susceptibility. The most influential of the genes, Pi21, is in close proximity to other important genes, so making changes without unwanted consequences would have been close to impossible without the precision of CRISPR, meaning selective breeding (and therefore the potential for a non-GM crop) was off the table.

The research team tested its resistance to disease in lab trials, but Italy’s policies on GM crops prevented them from performing field trials. That is, until 2023, when the country eased regulations on field trials for GM crops made with novel techniques such as CRISPR. By May 2024, the research team was able to plant a field of the GM rice, which was guarded by fences and 400 square meters of bare land to avoid contamination. As the first GMO to be studied in a field trial in Italy, RIS8imo could be revolutionary to agriculture in the country if proven safe and resistant to the rice blast caused by P. oryzae.

However, on June 21, the researchers found that the crops had been almost entirely destroyed. This halts progress of the project, as the few surviving plants do not provide enough data to draw certain conclusions. The researchers have yet to identify the culprit, and claim that all the farmers nearby were supportive of the study. Current legal standards force researchers to release field testing sites to the public, which enabled the responsible party to locate and destroy the research. To prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future, the team is in support of changing this policy or for protection from a government source.

I was a little surprised to discover that Italy has been so strict about GMO research, only relaxing regulations in 2023, and only for certain genetic engineering methods. I hadn’t considered the possibility of vandalism ruining research in this manner, but it’s not surprising considering how widespread opposition to GMOs is. It makes me wonder why I haven’t heard more about similar crimes being committed to regress the research process, and how policy can change to prevent it from recurring.

Considering these sorts of things makes me feel obligated to look into it, especially if I mention it in a post, but I need to get out of that habit. I don’t have time to investigate every little detail, and it serves as a source of friction that prevents me from doing anything, because even a small subject has far-reaching implications. It is more productive to do a little bit than to spend an eternity hunting down increasingly irrelevant topics, or do nothing because I was petrified of all of the possibilities. Today I spent like an hour looking for evidence for a minor detail for an article I was writing in advance, and I eventually had to come to terms with the fact that the time I was investing was not worth the anecdote I was trying to connect to subject. This is representative of my writing process as a whole, I fear.

Another short one this week, but don’t worry; the next one is a bit longer! It’s a two-parter regarding recent news on Golden Rice, the GM crop designed to combat Vitamin A deficiency I mentioned in my essay (it’s Synopsis 56 if you need a refresher!). I know I’ve been covering a lot of news recently, but I keep reading things and I can’t wait to post them! Gotta serve your news while it’s hot! Or at least before it goes completely stale… Stay tuned to learn with me!

Primary reference: https://www.science.org/content/article/landmark-gene-edited-rice-crop-destroyed-italy

Information of Pi21 gene: https://www.nature.com/articles/d43978-024-00017-2