Cast your mind back to the era of the GMO controversies. Among the many products that faced strong opposition, there is one positive success story that never received enough attention: the Rainbow papaya resistant to papaya ringspot virus. Not only did it helped save Hawaii’s papaya industry, but it also demonstrated the potential of public research. The viral threat was devastating, not merely theoretical. Moreover, the genetic modification produced visible effects: conventional plants became infected, while the modified ones survived. And now that the first new-generation products are beginning to reach the market – no longer transgenic organisms, but gene-edited plants – can we expect something similar, perhaps on an even larger scale?

Perhaps so, judging by the severity of the crisis faced by Florida’s citrus growers and by the hopes surrounding CRISPR-edited rootstocks. The video opening this post dates from 2025, but in the meantime the EPA has authorized the use of this biotechnological solution, and some sources even speak of three hundred thousand trees to be planted between 2026 and 2027.