Modifying plant genomes to increase resilience to abiotic stress

Abstract

If we want to ensure that future generations have enough to eat, we must triple our current agricultural yields. Because present crop varieties and crop growth methods may not be resilient enough to resist the increasing abiotic stresses caused by climate change, crop production is projected to become more difficult in the future. The majority of agricultural crops have their average yields reduced by more than 50% due to abiotic stress, making it the leading cause of crop loss globally. Drought, salt, excessive heat, and cold are the primary environmental factors that negatively impact agricultural output and efficiency. Sustainable food production relies on improved crops, and current crop improvement techniques are great at making plants more resistant to abiotic stress. Genome editing is one of the foremost cutting edge approaches to agricultural enhancement. Agricultural experts in particular are ecstatic about the new possibilities presented by genome editing, which might lead to the development of better crop types via the targeted introduction of desirable features. It is feasible to develop crop types with better abiotic stress tolerance and produce targeted genome modifications by genome editing, which is similar to mutational breeding. In order to better protect crops from abiotic stress, this review will quickly go over the following topics: abiotic stress, genome editing, mechanisms, various kinds, and applications.