Gene Modified Crops: are there Output Traits in Sight?
Input traits serve the grower by providing him a more efficient way of managing his crops. So far insect resistance (multiple genes for different lepidoptra species stacked together), herbicide resistance, and refuge in the box are the seed products offered for various large field crops such as maize, soybean, canola, and cotton. Other input traits are in development to obtain disease resistance (against viruses or fungi), or drought and salt tolerance. It is not certain that such developments will be made by gene technology or by classical breeding techniques.
Output trait aim at changing the agricultural product itself, to enhance food or feed produces, or to improve biomass characteristics. This calls for a different game since the product itself is made to induce changes in the diet and in the metabolism of the consumer's body.
It seems that the development of such output traits is stuck, limited to few large agribusiness companies, and with low or no investment being made otherwise in the green biotechnology any more.
Technical, regulatory and commercial reasons may explain this slow development. Anticipated high regulatory costs and a relatively low competitive value of the modified crop reduce the attractiveness of such projects.