From Farm to Flowerbed: CRISPR Tech to Remake the Garden Industry

DURHAM, NC – April 21, 2026 – A groundbreaking partnership is set to bring the power of advanced gene editing from agricultural fields to ornamental flowerbeds. Pairwise, a Durham-based innovator in biotechnology, has licensed its Fulcrum® CRISPR platform to Ball Horticultural Company, one of the world's largest breeders and distributors of ornamental plants. The deal marks the first major application of this cutting-edge technology in the global ornamental market, promising a future of more resilient, sustainable, and vibrant flowers and plants.

Ball, a company with over a century of history in horticulture, will integrate the Fulcrum® platform into its research and development pipeline. The agreement covers a vast portfolio of over 40 popular ornamental species, including roses, petunias, hydrangeas, and impatiens, and includes a commercial option for Ball to bring these next-generation plants to market.

"Genome editing has the potential to reshape what’s possible in ornamental breeding," said Jason Jandrew, Chief Research and Development Officer of Ball Horticultural Company, in a statement. "We’re excited about what the intersection of our deep knowledge of genetics and traditional breeding, coupled with advanced technologies like Fulcrum®, can bring to delight our customers and serve our mission to color the world."

The Billion-Dollar Bloom

The move represents a strategic expansion for gene editing into a lucrative new arena. The global ornamental horticulture market is a massive industry, valued at over $47 billion in 2024 and projected to exceed $66 billion by 2031. This growth is fueled by a confluence of factors, including a post-pandemic surge in home gardening, urban greening initiatives, and a growing consumer focus on wellness and home aesthetics. More than three-quarters of urban households in developed nations now use plants for home decor.

However, this booming market faces significant challenges that gene editing is uniquely positioned to address. "Pairwise built Fulcrum® to empower innovators across all of plant science, and Ball Horticultural Company is exactly the kind of partner we envisioned when we designed the platform for broad applicability," noted Dr. Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise.

Solving Horticulture's Thorny Problems

Behind the beauty of a perfect bloom lies an industry grappling with serious sustainability and logistical hurdles. Pest and disease pressures are constant threats, with some estimates suggesting a nearly 40% increase in pest-related crop losses in recent years. This often leads to heavy reliance on chemical pesticides, which can have downstream effects on soil, water, and beneficial insects like pollinators.

Furthermore, the industry is resource-intensive. The journey of a cut rose from a greenhouse in South America to a vase in North America involves significant water usage, refrigerated transport, and a substantial carbon footprint. A short vase life for cut flowers and limited shelf life for potted plants contribute to waste throughout the supply chain.

This is where the precision of CRISPR technology offers a paradigm shift. Unlike traditional cross-breeding, which can take decades to introduce a single new trait, gene editing can accelerate this process dramatically. The Fulcrum® platform allows scientists to make precise changes to a plant's own DNA to enhance desirable characteristics. This could mean developing roses that are naturally resistant to black spot fungus, petunias that require less water, or cut hydrangeas with a significantly longer vase life by targeting the genes that control ethylene production, the hormone responsible for wilting.

The Science of a Super Flower

Pairwise's Fulcrum® platform is more than just a simple genetic tool. It's a sophisticated suite of technologies, including a proprietary CRISPR enzyme called SHARC™, that enables a range of edits. The platform can perform "base editing," which changes a single letter of the genetic code without breaking the DNA strand, and a technique called REDRAW™, which allows for small, precise replacements. This gives breeders the ability to not just switch traits on or off, but to fine-tune them, much like using a dimmer switch to control the brightness of a light.

This precision distinguishes the technology from older genetic modification (GMO) techniques, which typically involved inserting foreign DNA from other species. With CRISPR, scientists can unlock a plant's inherent potential, creating improvements that could theoretically occur in nature or through conventional breeding, but on a much faster and more predictable timeline. The goal is not to create "unnatural" plants, but to develop better versions of beloved classics—ones that are hardier for the grower, more sustainable for the planet, and more beautiful for the consumer.

Cultivating Public Trust

The introduction of gene-edited flowers into a market projected to reach nearly $120 billion by 2035 will inevitably raise questions about regulation and public acceptance. The regulatory landscape remains a complex patchwork. In the United States, Japan, and several other countries, gene-edited plants that do not contain foreign DNA and could have been developed through traditional breeding are often not subject to the same stringent regulations as GMOs. This product-focused approach could smooth the path to market for Ball's future creations. In contrast, the European Union currently regulates gene-edited organisms under its stricter GMO framework, although debates are ongoing to revise these rules.

Consumer perception will be equally critical. Research indicates that while public awareness of gene editing is still low, people are generally more receptive to it than they were to first-generation GMOs, particularly for non-food applications and when the benefits are clearly communicated. The key will be transparency. Marketing strategies will likely focus on the tangible sustainability advantages—flowers that need fewer pesticides, plants that conserve water, and a reduced carbon footprint from less waste and spoilage. By positioning these innovations as a solution for a greener industry, companies hope to cultivate consumer trust alongside their new varieties. For the home gardener, this could soon mean a new era of plants that are not only more beautiful and diverse but also easier to grow and better for the environment.