Nature plantsJan 23, 2026

Developing pennycress as a new oilseed crop by combining important domestication traits using gene editing

CRISPR Gene Editing Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jun 27, 2026

Abstract

Essence

CRISPR stacking turned wild field pennycress into a candidate off-season oilseed crop with improved seed quality and reduced weediness.

Evidence

This plant genome-editing study stacked CRISPR-Cas9 mutations in field pennycress to create high-yielding lines, reduce seed glucosinolates by 75%, alter oil and fiber traits, and lower dormancy-related weediness.

Caveat

The abstract reports engineered seed and agronomic traits, not farm-scale profitability, long-term field persistence, or ecological outcomes.

Simplified

Considerable off-season farmland lies fallow because few crops can profitably fit between primary crops. As a remedy, we performed de novo domestication of the freeze-tolerant, rapid-cycling wild brassica Thlaspi arvense L. (field pennycress), identifying and stacking CRISPR-Cas9-induced mutations that have minimal impacts on seed yields. High-yielding varieties were created with seed compositions such as 'double-low' canola (low erucic acid and reduced glucosinolate) and reduced seed fibre content. Seed glucosinolate content was reduced by 75% by combining mutations in R2R3-MYB (MYB28/HAG1) and basic helix-loop-helix MYC (MYC3) transcription factors. Pennycress weediness was greatly reduced by knockout of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor TRANSPARENT TESTA8 (TT8), which lowered seed dormancy and seed coat protections, thereby mitigating re-emergence in fields. Domesticated pennycress offers farmers a low-carbon-intensity intermediate crop that fits between two full-season summer crops, resulting in three cash crops in 2 years, conferring cover-crop-like ecosystem benefits while producing grain for renewable fuels and enhanced food security.

Full Text

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Funding

Competing interests

Competing interests: Illinois State University (on behalf of B.G., B.A.J., M.M., M.E. and J.C.S.) and the University of Minnesota (on behalf of R.C. and M.D.M.) have entered a licensing agreement with CoverCress Inc. for the pennycress improved seed oil, low glucosinolate and low fibre traits; T.U., M.D.M., R.C., M.M., M.E., B.A.J. and J.C.S. hold related patents. S.L. and R.C. are employed by CoverCress Inc., and T.U. was formerly employed. The other authors declare no competing interests.

PubMed

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Developing pennycress as a new oilseed crop by combining important domestication traits using gene editing

Abstract

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

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