Plant Breeding Using the CRISPR-Cas9 System for Food Security and Facing Climate Change

With the rapid expansion of the global population and the influence of climate change on agriculture, crops with higher yields and greater resistance to abiotic stress are in demand. However, traditional crop development is a time-consuming procedure that cannot keep up with the demand for new crop varieties. The most popular of the new gene editing technologies, CRISPR/Cas9, may make it possible to quickly improve crops. The CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technique specifically uses a guide RNA and a Cas9 protein that can cut the genome at particular loci. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has quickly emerged as the most popular method for editing plant genomes due to its effectiveness and simplicity. It is optimal for developing novel germplasm resources and for altering the traits of various plants, especially food crops. This chapter focuses on the application of CRISPR/Cas systems to knockout genes in crops to improve attributes including yield, quality, stress tolerance, and disease resistance. De novo domestication and hybrid breeding using the CRISPR/Cas9 system are also discussed. Additionally, the system’s drawbacks are described for CRISPR/Cas9. This chapter will give researchers crucial knowledge on the use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology for crop improvement and plant breeding.