Blackberries without seeds were bred in the USA

Pairwise used advanced CRISPR technology to develop a new seedless and thornless blackberry by editing its DNA. This will increase the consumption of berries. Researchers say this opens the way to seedless cherries. This is reported by the website of the State University of North Carolina (USA). A graduate of this university, Lauren Redpath, works in a group of researchers that bred seedless blackberries. "Developing the seedless blackberry was a multi-year effort that relied on the collaboration of many experts in the field to achieve our goal," said Lauren Redpath. Once the specific traits to change were identified, it was a matter of finding the right genetic sequence, editing the plants, and seeing if the new variety grew with the desired results. "We studied the genes involved in the development of the pit and their functions. Pairwise developed a system for blackberry transformation and regeneration, then used its own genome to identify the correct genetic sequences and used ...