Precision editing to improve fruit traits: CRISPR/Cas into the picture.
Das T, Barman T, Prasad A
Crispr
Strawberries, bananas, and tomatoes at your grocery store could soon be bred to resist disease and pack more nutrients without years of traditional crossbreeding — CRISPR is making that timeline dramatically shorter.
CRISPR is a molecular 'scissors' tool that lets scientists snip and rewrite tiny parts of a plant's DNA to give it useful new traits, like better flavor, longer shelf life, or tougher defenses against pests. Traditionally, breeding better crops took decades of crossing plants and hoping for the right results; CRISPR can make targeted changes in just a few generations. This review looks at how that tool is being used on fruits specifically, what fruits have been edited so far, and what hurdles — like public concern over GMOs — still need to be cleared.
Key Findings
CRISPR/Cas9 has already been applied to at least 9 fruit crops including tomato, citrus, apple, kiwi, banana, grapes, strawberry, and watermelon.
A major bottleneck limiting wider fruit editing is the lack of reliable tissue-regeneration protocols and insufficient genome sequencing data for many fruit species.
CRISPR can target stress-response pathway genes to improve tolerance to both biotic stressors (pathogens, pests) and abiotic stressors (drought, heat) without sacrificing yield.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists are using a precise gene-editing tool called CRISPR to improve fruit crops — making them more nutritious, more resistant to disease and climate stress, and more productive. This review maps out what has been achieved so far and what obstacles remain before the technology can be used more widely.
Abstract Preview
Crop growth, quality, and yield can be adversely affected by various biotic and abiotic stresses. Crop characteristics can be improved with conventional breeding and other variation-based breeding ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Chloroplast Genome Editing Eliminates Gluten Immunogenicity in Triticum aestivum
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...
The tomato is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from western South America, and may have been domesticated there, in Mexico, or in Central America. Th...