CRISPR-Cas9 based molecular breeding in crop plants: a review

Abstract

Traditional crop breeding techniques are not quickly boosting yields to fulfill the expanding population needs. Long crop lifespans hinder the ability of plant breeding to develop superior crop varieties. Due to the arduous crossing, selecting, and challenging processes, it can take decades to establish new varieties with desired agronomic traits. Develop new plant varieties instantly to reduce hunger and improve food security. As a result of the adoption of conventional agricultural techniques, crop genetic diversity has decreased over time. Several traditional and molecular techniques, such as genetic selection, mutant breeding, somaclonal variation, genome-wide association studies, and others, have improved agronomic traits associated with agricultural plant productivity, quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In addition, modern genome editing approaches based on programmable nucleases, CRISPR, and Cas9 proteins have escorted an exciting new era of plant breeding. Plant breeders and scientists worldwide rely on cutting-edge techniques like quick breeding, genome editing tools, and high-throughput phenotyping to boost crop breeding output. This review compiles discoveries in numerous areas of crop breeding, such as using genome editing tools to accelerate the breeding process and create yearly crop generations with the desired features, to describe the shift from conventional to modern plant breeding techniques.

Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9; CRISPR/Cpf1; Conventional breeding; High-throughput phenotyping; Molecular techniques; food security.