Emerging Opportunities for Synthetic Biology in Agriculture

Abstract

Rapid expansion in the emerging field of synthetic biology has to date mainly focused on the microbial sciences and human health. However, the zeitgeist is that synthetic biology will also shortly deliver major outcomes for agriculture. The primary industries of agriculture, fisheries and forestry, face significant and global challenges; addressing them will be assisted by the sector’s strong history of early adoption of transformative innovation, such as the genetic technologies that underlie synthetic biology. The implementation of synthetic biology within agriculture may, however, be hampered given the industry is dominated by higher plants and mammals, where large and often polyploid genomes and the lack of adequate tools challenge the ability to deliver outcomes in the short term. However, synthetic biology is a rapidly growing field, new techniques in genome design and synthesis, and more efficient molecular tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 may harbor opportunities more broadly than the development of new cultivars and breeds. In particular, the ability to use synthetic biology to engineer biosensors, synthetic speciation, microbial metabolic engineering, mammalian multiplexed CRISPR, novel anti microbials, and projects such as Yeast 2.0 all have significant potential to deliver transformative changes to agriculture in the short, medium and longer term. Specifically, synthetic biology promises to deliver benefits that increase productivity and sustainability across primary industries, underpinning the industry’s prosperity in the face of global challenges.

Harnessing synthetic biology for kelp forest conservation1

“…), more elaborate and long‐term concepts involving incorporation of persistent synthetic biology elements in the environment to either act as communicators (such as biosensors) or automated systems (such as sentinel organisms involving complex molecular circuitry) are more complex (Goold et al. ) and can pose technical and ethical challenges.…”

Unlocking the Potential of SynBio for Improving Livelihoods in Africa

“…However, when they are coupled with some good agricultural practices, they can help increase yields (Donkor and Owusu, 2019). Using SynBio, nonleguminous crops that are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen reducing the need for fertilizers were developed (Goold et al, 2018). The technology can be transfered to crops grown on the African continent thereby helping to reduce nutrient associated losses and hence costs of production for many crops.…”

“…Where genes that are essential for a minimal bacterial genome are synthesised and at times transplanted into microbial cells. This has made feasible and simple previously impossible tasks (Goold et al, 2018). SynBio offers technologies such as whole cell biosensors that can be used in environmental monitoring, bioremediation, landmine detection as well as production of safer alternatives such as biodegradable plastics (Lee et al, 2006;Gogerty and Bobik, 2010;Teo, 2014, Belkin et al, 2017Goold et al, 2018).…”

“…This has made feasible and simple previously impossible tasks (Goold et al, 2018). SynBio offers technologies such as whole cell biosensors that can be used in environmental monitoring, bioremediation, landmine detection as well as production of safer alternatives such as biodegradable plastics (Lee et al, 2006;Gogerty and Bobik, 2010;Teo, 2014, Belkin et al, 2017Goold et al, 2018). SynBio is being propelled into prominence by the ever-decreasing costs of DNA sequencing and DNA synthesis and the increasing speed at which they are being accomplished.…”

“…SynBio is being propelled into prominence by the ever-decreasing costs of DNA sequencing and DNA synthesis and the increasing speed at which they are being accomplished. This is facilitating a paradigm shift in molecular sciences (Goold et al, 2018).…”