Gene Editing Aims to Enhance Crop Visibility for Robotic Weeding

Researchers propose altering crop genomes to express natural pigments, improving robot weeders' ability to distinguish crops from weeds.

Scientists suggest bioengineering crops with colors and shapes distinct from weeds to facilitate robotic weeding.
The proposed genetic modifications include expressing pigments like anthocyanins and carotenoids, already present in many plants.
This approach could reduce the reliance on herbicides and promote more sustainable farming practices.
Researchers emphasize the potential for these genetically modified crops to also enhance plant resilience to environmental stresses.
Further research is needed to assess the impacts of these genetic changes on crop vitality and to refine robot weeding technology.