Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have employed CRISPR gene-editing to create more compact goldenberry plants, reducing their size by about 35 percent to simplify cultivation. This innovation targets the fruit's unruly growth while preserving its nutritious, sweet-tart flavor. The approach aims to enable large-scale farming and enhance crop resilience amid climate challenges.
Goldenberries, a small fruit related to tomatoes and primarily grown in South America, have gained attention for their nutritional value and balanced taste. However, their bushy, sprawling nature has long hindered efficient harvesting, as farmers rely on largely undomesticated varieties.
A team led by postdoc Miguel Santo Domingo Martinez in Zachary Lippman's lab at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory addressed this by applying CRISPR to edit genes previously targeted in tomatoes and groundcherries. The modifications resulted in plants roughly a third shorter, allowing denser planting and easier management in agricultural settings.
"These massive, sprawling plants in an agricultural setting are cumbersome for harvest," explained greenhouse technician Blaine Fitzgerald.
To maintain flavor, the researchers sampled fruits directly from fields, tasting hundreds to select the best performers. After several generations of selective breeding, they developed two new lines combining compact stature with robust taste, though the fruits are slightly smaller.
The work builds on millennia of traditional selective breeding that shaped modern crops but accelerates the process for undomesticated species. "By using CRISPR, you open up paths to new and more resilient food options," Fitzgerald said. "In an era of climate change and increasing population size, bringing innovation to agricultural production is going to be a huge path forward."
Future efforts could focus on boosting fruit size or resistance to diseases and drought, according to Santo Domingo: "We can use these modern tools to domesticate undomesticated crops."
Regulatory approval remains the next hurdle before seeds reach growers for broader production. The findings appear in the journal PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET.
