Unlocking Genetic Potential in Fruit Crops with CRISPR/Cas Technology

Considering the escalating global population and the impact of climate change, it is imperative to develop cultivars exhibiting high-yielding potential as well as resilience, while promoting sustainable agriculture. Genome editing techniques have emerged as a viable alternative to conventional breeding methods due to their ability to overcome limitations associated with time, space, and cost. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system has been recognised as a groundbreaking tool for precise genome manipulations, owing to its straightforward, simple, and highly efficient nature as compared to other nucleases such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), thereby offering substantial potential for fruit crop improvement. The CRISPR/Cas9 system consists of a single-guide RNA and a non-specific Cas9 nuclease. This complex functions by guiding the Cas9 nuclease to a precise location within the genome, where it induces the formation of double-strand breaks. The subsequent repair process results in deletion or insertion mutations, allowing researchers to introduce desirable traits and accelerate breeding. For the purpose of improving fruit crops, CRISPR/Cas9 offers the potential to enhance yield, abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, and key traits like flowering time. Moreover, it enables modifications in genes related to fruit quality, such as flavour, aroma, nutritional content, and shelf life. This technology can enhance fruit crops by targeting specific genes or facilitating the incorporation of desired traits into elite cultivars without altering other essential attributes. In conclusion, this comprehensive overview provides valuable insights into the current state of CRISPR/Cas technology in fruit crop improvement and its potential to address the challenges of modern fruit breeding.