A potato leaf is cut as a step in CRISPR process
One of the methods used by researchers at SLU Alnarp involves treating individual potato leaf cells with CRISPR tools and then regenerating them into whole plants. Photo: Johanna Grundström.
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From Gene Editing to the Field: NGT-1 Crops and the New EU Legal Landscape

Welcome to an afternoon seminar on what the new EU legislation on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) may mean for crop research, plant breeding and future agriculture.

Date: 7 September 2026

Time: 13:00 - 16:30

Venue: Crafoord hall

Language: Engelska

Last day of registration: 31 August 2026

Organiser: Department of Plant Breeding and SLU Partnership Alnarp

Location: Alnarp

The seminar will explain the practical implications of the new legal framework for NGT-1 crops and place recent developments in gene editing technology into a broader perspective. Through examples from ongoing research at SLU Alnarp, we will show how CRISPR-based methods can be used to develop crop traits of relevance for sustainability, quality, health, resilience and future food production.

The seminar is intended for a broad audience, including students, researchers, stakeholders and anyone interested in how gene editing may shape the next generation of crops.

Registration
Registration on the Swedish site

To registration on the Swedish site

Program

13:00-13:10 Welcome, introduction (Per Hofvander)

13:10-13:30 ”The new EU NGT legislation and its practical implications” (Dennis Eriksson)

13:30-13:50 “Gene editing development and how to influence traits” (Per Hofvander)

13:50-14:10 “DNA-free CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of oil crops” (Lihua Zhu)

14:10-14:30 “Improved quality traits in potato by CRISPR-editing” (Mariette Andersson)

14:30-15:00 Coffee

15:00-15:20 “Toward immunity and increased tolerance against abiotic stress in potato” (Erik Andreasson)

15:20-15:40 “Reducing Antinutritional Factors in Pea by Genome Editing” (Selvaraju Kanagarajan)

15:40-16:00 “Gene editing for crop domestication” (Emelie Ivarson)

16:00-16:20 Questions and discussion with the panel of speakers

16:20-16:30 Closing remarks (Per Hofvander)