TEA Rice Field Trials Begin in Northern Italy

Lombardy will host the first Italian and one of the first European experiments on methods of assisted evolution (TEA). The modified rice plants will be sown to make them more resistant to the fungus that causes the disease known as brusone. This pathology is considered a constant threat to rice farmers, as it can destroy up to 50% of the crop.

“We start in the province of Pavia, which is the cradle of rice in Italy, we want to find answers for the agriculture of the future. Soon we will be able to extend the trials to grapes as well,” says Alessandro Beduschi, a member of the Lombardy Region Council. “It should be clarified that TEAs, unlike GMOs, do not involve the use of genetic material foreign to the specific species. This is a turning point. We have long hoped to have the opportunity to test the potential of these genetic enhancement techniques. They will give us plants that are more resistant to disease and better suited to combat the effects of climate change.”

Italy has historically been a country to stubbornly oppose experiments with GMOs. They cannot be used, although the respective products are freely sold, are part of pig and cattle feed for the most famous products with “protected origin designation” – from ham to parmesan.

TEA methods are authorized in Italy. It is a set of methods for genetic improvement of plants, genome editing, and cisgenesis. The goal is to make them resistant to virus or parasite attack, improve yields, potentially also reducing the use of agrochemicals and pesticides.