PubMed · 2026-05-14
Scientists are using CRISPR gene editing to switch crops from sprawling, open-ended growth to compact, synchronized plants that flower and ripen all at once — making them far easier to harvest by machine. The key target is a gene called SELF-PRUNING, already known from the compact tomato varieties used in commercial processing.
CRISPR editing of the SELF-PRUNING (SP) / TFL1 gene family successfully converted indeterminate growth to compact, determinate forms across tomato, legumes, cotton, cereals, and horticultural crops.
Determinate growth engineering synchronizes flowering and fruit set, directly enabling mechanical harvesting and reducing labor costs at scale.
Hormonal pathways — specifically auxin and cytokinin — interact with SP/TFL1 genes to regulate the vegetative-to-reproductive transition, offering additional editing targets for fine-tuning plant architecture.
