Assessment of the economic feasibility and the impacts of the technologies used in the production systems of coffee, sugarcane, and citrus crops New title: Transgene-free genome editing in citrus through positive and negative selection systems.

• Grant number: 25/12785-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Alessandra Alves de Souza
• Grantee: Daniela Beatriz da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/07045-3 - Biotechnological and genomic strategies for quality, productivity and sustainable management of citrus, coffee and sugar cane in the State of São Paulo, AP.NPOP

Abstract

At the Institute of Agricultural Economics (IEA), since its creation, the methodology for incorporating changes occurring in the field - resulting from modifications in technological packages and Brazilian legislation - has been continuously improved and has served as a reference for other research institutions and professional associations. This project aims to assess the economic feasibility and the impacts of the technologies used in the production systems of coffee, sugarcane, and citrus crops, as well as to examine their acceptance in the market. The research will be carried out in two stages: an initial stage in which a baseline (T0) will be established, and a subsequent stage when the innovations already in the adoption process will undergo a new evaluation (T1) in order to measure their multidimensional impacts on production systems. Between these two moments, an economic feasibility study of the technological change will be conducted to quantify the capital investment requirements and the benefits resulting from the change.New abstract: Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, is currently the most impactful disease affecting citrus production, requiring the development of resistant cultivars. The genome editing approach using transgene-free techniques combined with the CRISPR-Cas system represents an effective methodology, enabling precise genome edits without the insertion of exogenous DNA and, consequently, facilitating the regulation of new varieties for commercialization. In this project, a co-editing strategy with two distinct vectors will be employed: pLR5560, targeting the CsCalS12 gene, and pLR5561, targeting the CsNPR3 gene. Both vectors also promote base editing of the CsALS gene to enable positive selection of edited shoots in tissue culture. Additionally, the methodology combines a negative selection system, allowing the identification of transgene-free shoots. With this approach, it will be possible to obtain transgene-free citrus plants tolerant to HLB. (AU)