Science uses gene editing to develop blast-resistant rice

Gene editing via the CRISPR/Cas9 technique has been used to give blast resistance to rice cultivar BRSMG Curinga in a study by Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology. Once launched in 2005, BRSMG Curinga was replaced in the market after becoming susceptible to the disease —which is caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae— over the years.