Integrated Omics Approaches for Plant Disease Resistance

Pathogenic diseases among crops are the major reason of huge crop loss globally. This has led to an urgent need to develop crop varieties which could withstand the infestation and the changing environment around. Conventional breeding methods are effective to an extent but are time-consuming and have certain limitations when it comes to incorporation of specific traits that are not present within the species or due to their compatibility. Currently, identification of specific genes which could either impart resistance or be responsible for susceptibility is the major challenge. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, phenomics, metabolomics, and ionomics are the latest approaches used to achieve this challenge, but their individual application cannot pinpoint the responsible genes involved in various pathways during plant-pathogen interaction in crops. However, the multi-omics approach could serve the purpose of identifying specifically trait-oriented genes complemented with resistance against the pathogen. These findings when combined with genome editing can boost the defense system of the host plant against pathogenic invasions and result in desired agronomic and yield traits.