Genome Editing for Sustainable Crop Improvement and Mitigation of Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Abstract

Climate change poses a serious threat to global agricultural activity and food production. To address this issue, plant genome editing technologies have been developed to provide an alternative solution for crop improvement. Unlike conventional breeding techniques (e.g., selective breeding and mutation breeding), modern genome editing tools offer more targeted and specific alterations of the plant genome to produce crops with desired traits, such as higher yield and/or stronger resilience to the changing environment. In this review, we discuss the current development and future applications of genome editing technologies in mitigating the impacts of biotic and abiotic stresses on agriculture. We focus specifically on the CRISPR/Cas system, which has been the center of attention in the last few years as a revolutionary genome-editing tool in various species. We also conducted a bibliographic analysis on CRISPR-related papers published from 2012 to 2021 (10 years) to identify trends and possible gaps in the CRISPR/Cas-related plant research. In addition, this review article outlines the current shortcomings and challenges of employing genome editing technologies in agriculture with notes on future prospective. We believe combining conventional and more innovative technologies in agriculture would be the key to optimizing crop improvement beyond the limitations of traditional agricultural practices.

Viral delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing for rapid crop improvement: A promising approach to enhance crop resilience against biotic and abiotic stresses

“…The ability to simultaneously target multiple genes further enables the development of crop varieties with complex traits, such as improved nutritional content and shelf life (Deepa Jaganathan 2018) [55] . Moreover, viral delivery allows for the introduction of CRISPR/Cas9 technology into diverse crop species, broadening the scope of agricultural improvements (Hamdan et al, 2022) [46] . By harnessing the power of viral vectors for CRISPR/Cas9 delivery, researchers and breeders can achieve rapid, precise, and reliable crop improvements that hold immense potential for meeting the growing demands of global food production.…”

Recent Trends and Advancements in CRISPR-Based Tools for Enhancing Resistance against Plant Pathogens

“…CRISPR/Cas system-based gene knock-out technologies can easily engineer resistant plants, as described above. This property of targeted mutagenesis is not only useful for functional genomics but also helpful for crop breeding [95]. A plant variety could be directly and rapidly modified by applying CRISPR technology in crop breeding [96].…”