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Editorial

Vol. 43 No. 2 (2026): Revista de Ciencias Agrícolas - May - August 2026

A critical perspective on gene editing in modern agriculture

DOI
https://doi.org/10.22267/rcia.2026432.296
Submitted
June 5, 2026
Published
2026-05-04

Abstract

Gene editing technologies have emerged as some of the most transformative tools in modern agricultural science. Over the past decade, the refinement of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and associated protein systems, alongside earlier platforms such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), has altered what is possible in crop improvement and sustainable food production. This note examines the scientific foundations of agricultural gene editing, surveys the breadth of its current applications, evaluates its agronomic and environmental implications, addresses regulatory and ethical considerations, and reflects on the trajectory of this field as it confronts the urgent challenges of feeding a growing global population in an era of accelerating climate change.

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