Genome editing techniques in plants: a comprehensive review and future prospects toward zero hunger

Abstract

Promoting sustainable agriculture and improving nutrition are the main United Nation’s sustainable development goals by 2030. New technologies are required to achieve zero hunger, and genome editing technology is the most promising one. In the last decade, genome editing (GE) using the CRISPR/Cas system has attracted researchers as a safer and easy tool for genome editing in several living organisms. GE has revolutionized the field of agriculture by improving biotic and abiotic stresses and yield improvement. GE technologies were developed fast lately to avoid the obstacles that face GM crops. GE technology, depending on site directed nuclease (SDN), is divided into three categories according to the modification methods. Developing transgenic-free edited plants without introducing foreign DNA meet the acceptance and regulatory ratification of several countries. There are several ongoing efforts from different countries that are rapidly expanding to adopt the current technological innovations. This review summarizes the different GE technologies and their application as a way to help in ending hunger.

The Need for Machines for the Nondestructive Quality Assessment of Potatoes with the Use of Artificial Intelligence Methods and Imaging Techniques

“…As the population grows, so does the need for food. According to the World Food Program agency, in 2030, the number of people severely affected by hunger has increased, from 619 million people in 2019, by 31% to 811 million in 2020 [ 18 ]. It is estimated that world food demand will increase from 35% to 56% between 2010 and 2050.…”

Assuring the Food Safety of Crops Developed through Breeding

“…While the most frequently described edits to date tend to be single nucleotide or small targeted insertions or deletions, chromosomal rearrangements and epigenetic modifications to enhance or repress gene expression are also possible future applications for genome editing to introduce genetic variation. 8,9 Numerous applications of genome editing in plants have been described. These include the more traditional agronomic targets of yield and disease resistance.…”

“…Since that time, many applications of this system to agriculture and medicine have been investigated. Several excellent reviews describe the function of the CRISPR-Cas system. , In short, the basic action of CRISPR involves an RNA guide sequence, which locates the targeted portion of DNA, and a protein, such as Cas9, which then makes a break in the DNA at that site. At that point, the endogenous cellular repair mechanism is activated, which is an error-prone process that can result in inactivating the gene.…”

“…CRISPR systems are also being developed to precisely create single-nucleotide variants in targeted DNA or RNA in a process called base editing. While the most frequently described edits to date tend to be single nucleotide or small targeted insertions or deletions, chromosomal rearrangements and epigenetic modifications to enhance or repress gene expression are also possible future applications for genome editing to introduce genetic variation. , …”

Enabling Genome Editing for Enhanced Agricultural Sustainability

“…With the uptake of genome editing tools and their application in plant research and breeding ( Puchta et al, 2022 ), there is renewed optimism around opportunities for crop improvement driven by expectations for improved societal acceptance, a more favourable regulatory environment, and reduced cost and time of development. All of these will increase accessibility and adoption of innovative breeding tools in all types of crops ( Abdallah et al, 2021 ; Lassoued et al, 2021 ). The scientific literature strongly emphasises the features of ease and speed for trait and crop improvement using genome editing, with estimates for halving the development process, e.g., from 8 to 10 years with conventional tools, 8–12 years if transgenic tools are also used, and 4–6 years with the use of genome editing ( Chen et al, 2019 ).…”