More than 100 studies on NGT applications with a particular focus on altering the flowering time across a wide range of plant species have already been identified (Hodaei and Werbrouck, 2023). A further study shows that the architecture of flowers can even be adapted to robotic pollination (Xie et al., 2025). In many cases, the NGT plants exhibit a previously unknown combination of genetic alterations that are unlikely to occur through conventional breeding.

Colour, scent and the structure of the flowers are crucial for pollinator preferences. Experiments have shown that genetic enigineering to alter the colour of flowers can cause a switch in the preferences of pollinators, from hawkmoths (butterflies) to bees (Lüthi et al., 2022). Large-scale cultivation of NGT plants with manipulated flowering can cause a severe disconnect in plant-pollinator interactions, with cascading effects on entire ecosystems (Testbiotech, 2026a).

Applications such as extreme early first flowering in NGT poplars (Ortega et al., 2023), changes in ‘robotic flowering’ (Xie et al., 2025) and a change of colour to attract specific pollinators (Lüthi et al., 2022) can be achieved within the proposed threshold for fast-track releases and market approval.

Publication date / last update

February 2026

Further information:

Hodaei et al. (2023) Unlocking Nature’s Clock: CRISPR Technology in Flowering Time
Engineering. Plants, 12(23): 4020.

Lüthi et al. (2022) Single gene mutation in a plant MYB transcription factor causes a
major shift in pollinator preference. Curr Biol, 32(24): 5295-5308.e5.

Ortega et al. (2023) In vitro floral development in poplar: insights into seed trichome
regulation and trimonoecy. New Phytol, 237(4): 1078-1081.

Testbiotech (2026a) Manipulated flowering in NGT plants: A crack in ecosystems.

Xie et al. (2025) Engineering crop flower morphology facilitates robotization of crosspollination
and speed breeding. Cell, 188(21): 5809-5830.e27.