Fruits and Vegetables.
At present, there are no genetically modified fruit or vegetables on the consumer market in the EU. The GM plants authorized in the EU are not intended for direct consumption. Nevertheless, genetic engineering has unfortunately become standard practice when it comes to research and crop improvement.

Resistance to pests and diseases.
Researchers are trying to understand the complexities of gene function, which could allow them to give plants new traits. Ongoing projects are working on giving plants resistance to pests and diseases, but it seems that genetically modified fruits and vegetables are still quite a long way from commercial use in the EU.

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Apples.
Genetically modified apples are still not approved. Even field trials are still few and far between. Nevertheless, genetic engineering could hold new opportunities for getting rid of disease problems that are spreading throughout orchards in Europe.

Many diseases worry apple growers.
Apple growers in Europe have to deal with dozens of different diseases including fire blight, apple scab, and powdery mildew. Fire blight is caused by bacteria and has been spreading throughout Europe causing significant losses in recent years. Fire blight is highly contagious, affecting apples, pears, and quince. There are no known means of effectively controlling fire blight that are considered ecological and safe. Apple scab and powdery mildew are fungal diseases that are also responsible for significant losses. Both of these diseases can be mitigated using targeted, preventative measures. Under certain circumstances fungicides may be used to manage these diseases.

Better resistance through classic breeding.
Throughout the past decades, apple varieties have been bred with better resistance to these diseases. Nonetheless, even the improved varieties don't have what it takes to fight off disease when conditions are favorable for infection. For this reason, several institutes, including institutes in Europe, are working on developing new possibilities for plant defense using genetic engineering. Certain genes have been transferred to apples that produce substances that either destroy pathogens or block infection. A gene isolated from a fungus allows apples to produce chitinase, an enzyme capable of breaking down the cell walls of fungi. There are many other active compounds similar to this that are encoded by known genes. Several of these genes are being tested in apples. Very few of these projects have been tested in the field. Most are still at the laboratory or greenhouse stage. If these genetic engineering approaches actually prove to be effective, a large amount of fungicides and other spraying could potentially be avoided.

No GM apples approved.
As of yet, no genetically modified apples have been approved anywhere in the world. This is not likely to change in the next few years. It is expected, however, that the amount of GM apple field tests will keep increasing. By the end of 2004, seven field trials with GM apples were registered in the EU. Numerous field trials have been underway in the US. There are also projects developing insect resistant, transgenic apples. In the US, transgenic apples with delayed softening are being developed with longer shelf life, so that fruit can ripen on the tree.

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