A breakthrough in agricultural gene editing may help farmers breed more disease-resistant crops. Aided by artificial intelligence, researchers at UC Davis managed to strengthen plants’ immune response by re-engineering protein structures that detect disease, known as immune receptors, to recognize newly evolved pathogens. The method may provide a more sustainable solution for tomato farmers near Sacramento — the Big Tomato — who typically fight illnesses such as wilt disease and southern blight with environmentally damaging pesticides.