Thanks to breakthroughs over the past couple of decades, plant breeders can now use precision breeding tools alongside traditional crossbreeding methods. In Estonia, this approach is being led by a project called Marta, short for Modern Breeding Tools for Smart Food Security. The initiative brings together researchers from the University of Tartu, the Estonian University of Life Sciences and Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech).

One of the project's main goals is to apply the CRISPR/Cas9 method, commonly known as gene editing. "A third of the focus is on how to apply new breeding techniques, especially CRISPR/Cas9, to make plant breeding more efficient and faster in a way that helps secure future food safety," said Liina Jakobson, senior researcher at the Center of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge.

The greatest advantage of this new technology is its ability to alter individual traits in plants without causing unwanted side effects. This allows for targeted solutions to specific problems that limit the use of domestic crop varieties in the food industry. For example, apples quickly turn brown after being cut and the distinct taste of legumes can make them unappealing to many people as a meat substitute.

"We're working to make sure that a good-tasting apple bred in Estonia won't turn brown anymore or that local fava bean varieties won't have such a strong legume flavor, making them more suitable for plant-based foods that resemble cutlets," Jakobson said.

Still, she added, traditional beans aren't going anywhere: "We're seeing different breeding directions emerge — some varieties will be tailored more for plant-based foods and others will remain ideal for traditional cooked beans."

Beyond improving culinary qualities, gene technology can also make plants more resistant to disease — an important step toward more environmentally sustainable farming. If a plant can fight off viruses on its own, the need for pesticides is reduced, which benefits both the environment and the consumer.

"With potatoes, we're aiming for virus resistance, so that the already-popular Estonian potato varieties become even more resilient and the harvest comes in clean, without the need for chemical treatment," the senior researcher explained.

Another trend is consumer impatience: people no longer want to wait until fall and are eager to have new potatoes on their plates as early as possible. Jakobson noted that Estonian breeding programs have adapted accordingly. "When it comes to potatoes, we can say we've developed a pretty strong portfolio of varieties. We're increasingly moving toward early-maturing potato varieties."

Speeding up the breeding process has become essential, as climate change is transforming farming conditions faster than traditional breeding methods can keep up. Jakobson pointed out that developing a new variety typically takes 10 to 15 years and up to 25 years in the case of apple trees. "In that amount of time, the climate around us can change drastically. So it's very difficult to breed a variety today that's expected to produce its best yield 15 years from now," she added.

This was driven home by this summer's erratic weather, when excessive rainfall caused serious problems for grain growers. "With spring wheat, we saw this very clearly — if it rains too much, the wheat begins to sprout in the head before the grain has even fully matured and farmers can't get into the fields with the combine in time," Jakobson said.

Even though science is advancing rapidly and gene editing offers possibilities once thought to be science fiction, biology still has its limits. Asked whether it might one day be possible to breed beans with a real meat flavor, the senior researcher remained cautiously optimistic. "We're not quite there yet, but maybe if you ask me again in five years, I'll have a better answer," said Liina Jakobson.

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