Nutrient Biofortification in Crop Plants by the CRISPR/Cas9 Technology: A Potential Approach for Sustainable Food Security

Food security is going to be a major challenge in the future due to the rapidly growing population and the impact of climate change. To meet the demands, plant breeders and scientists are trying to improve crop production using multiple approaches. At present, gene-editing technologies are the most advanced methods to improve crops. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology is one of the promising gene-editing technologies. CRISPR/Cas9 technology employs single-guide RNA molecules to direct specific double-strand breaks at the desired location in the targeted genome. Due to its precision in specific gene editing, easy process, and versatility, it has become the most successful technique for improving crop quality and production. CRISPR/Cas9 technology has widened the scope of molecular breeding in the agriculture sector by bringing in novel openings to engineer plant varieties with the omission of unfavorable traits or insertion of useful traits. Currently, the focus of plant biology research is to develop crop plants with higher nutrient value using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Major examples include rice, maize, wheat, barley, soybean, tomato, potato, cucumber, and watermelon. Key targeted traits involve qualitative and quantitative augmentation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), phytic acid, steroidal glycoalkaloids, oleic acid, gluten, anthocyanin, starch, and protein contents. Here, we aimed to review the budding applications of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in nutrient enrichment in crop plants. We also discuss the concept, architecture, and mechanism of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in gene editing. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology is going to revolutionize our crop improvement efforts in the future due to its wide range, flexibility, precision, and affordability.