Review: Beautiful mutations

This is an interesting and engaging review article, written by a team from Bayer US Crop Science, on how mutations (broadly defined) have benefited plant domestication and breeding. While it briefly covers the basics, such as population genetics, it really focuses on demystifying and normalizing the concept of mutations in the context of plant breeding. For example, they address the use of the term “mutation” and its limitations when we observe endless variations amongst individuals of the same species. They ask, “Which one is the mutant?” They next introduce the many ways that plant diversity has benefited from a wide array of genetic changes, including whole-genome duplication, transposon insertion, copy number variation etc. I particularly enjoyed the section on how polyploidization has benefited crop plants, and learning that the vitamin A-rich orange varieties of carrot, cauliflower, and sweet potato have all arisen from independent gain-of-function mutations in the same gene (Orange; Or), which influences phytoene synthesis. The authors conclude with an overview of how induced mutagenesis has been an important tool through which breeders have introduced variation, and a call for greater public understanding of and acceptance of the tremendous benefits that can come from precision gene editing. (Summary by Mary Williams @PlantTeaching.bsky.social) Plant Physiol. 10.1093/plphys/kiaf378