Brazil and Colombia Approve First Drought Tolerant Gene-Edited Soybeans

In December 2022, GDM, an Argentinean company working on improving soybeans, announced that Brazil's National Technical Biosafety Commission (CNTBio) has approved its first gene-edited drought tolerant soybean. André Beló, manager of new technologies at GDM, said that the gene-edited soybean was approved by CNTBio in Brazil in May, and greenlighted by the Argentine government in November. The company plans to commercialize the variety in Brazil during the 2027/28 harvest.

The gene-edited soybeans that were developed for temperate climates will take a little longer to be planted in Brazil because they will need to be adjusted to tropical climates. In studies that began in late 2018, researchers isolated a gene in the plant responsible for sensing water scarcity. This gene influences the plant's growth response in dry environments.