Engineering compact Physalis peruviana (goldenberry) to promote its potential as a global crop

Santo Domingo, M.; Fitzgerald, B.; Robitaille, G. M.; Ramakrishnan, S.; Swartwood, K.; Karavolias, N.; Schatz, M.; Van Eck, J.; Lippman, Z.

doi:10.1101/2025.08.15.670557

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.08.15.670557

Engineering compact Physalis peruviana (goldenberry) to promote its potential as a global crop

Santo Domingo, M.·Fitzgerald, B.·Robitaille, G. M.·Ramakrishnan, S.·Swartwood, K.·Karavolias, N.·Schatz, M.·Van Eck, J.·Lippman, Z.

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Abstract

SOCIETAL STATEMENTEN - Goldenberry (Physalis peruviana) produces sweet, nutritionally-rich berries, yet like many minor crops, is cultivated in limited geographical regions and has not been a focus of breeding programs for trait enhancement. Leveraging knowledge of plant architecture-related traits from related species, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to generate a compact ideotype to advance future breeding efforts and agricultural production. Goldenberry growers will benefit from these compact versions because it optimizes per plot yield, facilitating larger-scale production to meet rising consumer popularity and demand. SP - La uchuva (Physalis peruviana) produce frutos dulces y ricos en nutrientes, pero, igual que muchos cultivos minoritarios, se cultiva en zonas geograficas limitadas y no ha sufrido un proceso de mejora. Aprovechando conocimientos sobre rasgos relacionados con la arquitectura vegetal de especies relacionadas, hemos usado edicion genica mediante CRISPR/Cas9 para generar un ideotipo compacto para promover futuros esfuerzos en su mejora y en produccion agricola. Los productores de uchuva se podran beneficiar de estas versiones compactas ya que optimiza el rendimiento por parcela, facilitando asi la produccion a una mayor escala para cubrir la creciente popularidad y demanda de los consumidores.

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Santo Domingo, M., Fitzgerald, B., Robitaille, G. M., Ramakrishnan, S., Swartwood, K., Karavolias, N., Schatz, M., Van Eck, J., Lippman, Z.. 2025-08-19. Engineering compact Physalis peruviana (goldenberry) to promote its potential as a global crop. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.15.670557

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