Genetic Engineering: An Emerging Method in Plant Breeding

Abstract

Abiotic stresses like drought, heat, and salinity are major causes of agricultural production losses worldwide. However, progress in developing genetically modified crops with better tolerance to these stresses has been slow. Modern agriculture faces various challenges, such as the complex field environment, diverse abiotic stress combinations, and global climatic changes. A combination of approaches is required to improve crop tolerance to abiotic stress significantly. These include understanding stress response and acclimation networks, testing under different growth conditions, using innovative techniques considering genetic and physiological variations in crops, and incorporating enzymes and proteins from other organisms.