A REVIEW OF GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF MAIN FRUIT TREES THROUGH MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS AND CONSIDERATIONS OF THE CULTIVATION AND RESEARCH OF THE ENGINEERED PLANT RESTRICTIONS

Abstract

This review describes the regeneration and genetic transformation strategies for the main fruit trees aimed to produce cis-or trans-genic editing tools; the risks and benefits derived from the proper use of these technologies are likewise discussed. plants andaimed todescribe the most important goals achieved up to now, included those got with genomeThe plants designed and realized with genetic transformation technology for a sustainable and more profitable agriculture, are also projected to produce specificproteins for pharmaceutical field and suitable for the climate changing to, and they are fundamental to better understand the gene function. For this reason,this technology will still be useful or essential and, with appropriate corrections, despite the progress the new recent technologies will survive for a long time. This technique also allows us greatly accelerate the development of improved plants by access to the readily available and huge national local germplasm, already gathered and preserved, avoiding the loss of important gene pool. Gene transformation technologies are carried out over two decades and in the majority of the cases, are used to improve specifically the plants’ weak traits, providing an answer to farmers’ demands, while leaving untouched all others traits of the most value varieties. At moment all these improved plants are subjected to the same restrictive laws, but many optimistic people hope in some deregulation for plants obtained by using the new tools of genome editing, beside trans-grafting and cis-genic techniques. Meanwhile techniques to produce improved non-transgenic plants from genetically engineered mother plants are explored as well as the techniques used to avoid the transmission of the transgenes to other compatible plants nearby.The consequences of the total veto imposed by mostly EU governments to cultivate these plants, and in one case, as in Italy, even the field trials, making the farmers and minor breeder companies dependent on few big companies and unable to defend national local germplasm with an obvious negative impact on economy and on science progresses.