第2223期:Australian Seed Company Tests AI Gene Editing in Wheat

Agriculture companies are using new methods to change the genes of plants to produce more productive crops.

农业公司正在使用新方法改变植物的基因，以生产出更高产的作物。

The process of gene-editing is gaining attention from people interested in agriculture. It makes changes to the existing genes of a plant, such as wheat. That is different from genetic modification, which produces what are known as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. That process introduces completely new DNA to a plant’s genetic information.

基因编辑过程正在引起对农业感兴趣的人的关注。它对植物现有基因进行改变，例如小麦。这与基因改造不同，基因改造会产生所谓的转基因生物（GMOs）。基因改造是将全新的DNA引入植物的基因信息中。

Regulators and scientists believe gene-editing is less risky than genetic modification. They say it is closer to traditional methods of plant breeding. The process permits scientists to target several genes for editing.

监管机构和科学家认为基因编辑比基因改造风险更小。他们表示，基因编辑更接近传统的植物育种方法。这个过程允许科学家针对多个基因进行编辑。

A state-run company in Australia is preparing for a major trial of gene-edited wheat. Australian seed breeder InterGrain recently imported thousands of wheat seeds created by the American agricultural technology company Inari.

澳大利亚的一家国营公司正在准备一项基因编辑小麦的重大试验。澳大利亚种子育种公司InterGrain最近从美国农业技术公司Inari进口了数千粒小麦种子。

InterGrain chief Tress Walmsely said the wheat imports included hundreds of new genetic variations. Walmsley said the seeds are growing in a testing greenhouse in the state of Queensland. The plan is to create more seeds which can be planted across Australia in 2025.

InterGrain的主管Tress Walmsely表示，这些进口的小麦包含数百种新的基因变异。Walmsley说，这些种子正在昆士兰州的一个测试温室中生长。计划是到2025年生产出更多可以在澳大利亚各地种植的种子。

"Our job is to work out which gene combination gives the best results. Our goal is at least 10 percent yield improvement. These seeds have the potential to achieve that," she said.

“我们的工作是找出哪种基因组合能带来最佳结果。我们的目标是至少提高10%的产量。这些种子有潜力实现这一目标，”她说。

The company believes it could be selling seeds to Australian farmers starting in 2028.

该公司认为，到2028年可以开始向澳大利亚农民出售种子。

Inari uses artificial intelligence (AI) to consider a huge number of possible edits and then uses the CRISPR gene-editing tool to change more than one gene at a time.

Inari使用人工智能（AI）考虑大量可能的编辑，然后使用CRISPR基因编辑工具一次性改变多个基因。

InterGrain and Inari believe the program could result in stronger wheat and bigger crops with a process 10 to 15 times faster than traditional plant breeding. Plant breeding happens when scientists mate two plants with desirable characteristics. It can take years for the best version of a plant to arrive.

InterGrain和Inari相信，这个项目可以产生更强壮的小麦和更大的作物，其过程比传统植物育种快10到15倍。植物育种是指科学家将两株具有理想特性的植物交配，可能需要多年才能培育出最佳版本的植物。

Some gene-edited crops already exist. Most of them offer small nutritional improvements or have an increased ability to resist disease. The new wheat plants in Australia will have many of those qualities.

一些基因编辑作物已经存在。它们大多数提供了小幅的营养改善或增强了抗病能力。澳大利亚的新小麦将具备这些特性中的许多。

"We want to solve food security, climate change and farm profitability at the same time," said Inari’s chief Ponsi Trivisvavet.

Inari的主管Ponsi Trivisvavet说：“我们希望同时解决食品安全、气候变化和农场盈利问题。”

Australia is working to ensure that it can export the gene-edited wheat. Some countries, such as the U.S. and Japan, have already said they believe gene-editing is not very different from plant breeding. Officials in those countries will be more likely to approve the Australian wheat.

澳大利亚正在努力确保能够出口基因编辑小麦。一些国家，如美国和日本，已经表示他们认为基因编辑与植物育种没有太大区别。这些国家的官员更有可能批准澳大利亚的小麦。

The European Union is expected to make a similar decision and China approved a gene-edited wheat plant in May.

预计欧盟也会作出类似的决定，中国在五月批准了一种基因编辑小麦。

Inari said it is working with agriculture companies in the U.S. on a gene-edited soybean that will produce larger crop yields.

Inari表示，它正在与美国的农业公司合作开发一种基因编辑大豆，这种大豆将带来更高的作物产量。

Many countries have already accepted genetically modified soybeans because they are mostly used to feed animals. Officials, however, have been slower to approve the modification of wheat because much of it is used in products made for humans.

许多国家已经接受了转基因大豆，因为它们主要用于喂养动物。然而，官员们在批准小麦的改造方面一直较慢，因为小麦大多用于生产人类食用的产品。