Chinese scientists have reportedly engineered a way to use gene-editing technology to bypass natural plant behavior and force crops to inherit genes that will make them more resilient and easier to grow, according to Interesting Engineering.

“The genetic manipulation of wild plant populations has emerged as a potentially powerful and transformative strategy,” the researchers said.

The technique involves using CRISPR gene-editing technology to bypass traditional Mendelian inheritance — the process by which genes are passed down through generations — to breed plants with “ideal” genes. The system is known as CRISPR-Assisted Inheritance, or CAIN.

Some recent innovations in that field include the discovery of a genetic mechanism in pear trees that allows them to tolerate drought conditions, the discovery of a gene mutation in peach trees that lets them escape the effects of spring frost, and a genome-edited type of rice that is resistant to a devastating virus.

Any of these discoveries and breakthroughs could be applied to other crops, using CRISPR technology, to make them more resilient as well.

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