Improving Qualities of Horticultural Crops Using Various CRISPR Delivery Methods

The increase in the global population has severely impacted the climate. A wide range of issues such as resilient plant pathogens and harsh weather conditions have resulted in food shortages. Scientists all over the world are working tirelessly to forecast the ever-changing climatic scenarios and the resulting social and economic challenges. These issues necessitate a rapid response from the scientific community in order to incorporate emerging techniques to reduce the breeding time for producing robust crops. Horticultural crops provide a diverse pool of nutrients and medicinal alternatives including functional food with stress-relieving properties. The advancement of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing has given a much-needed boost to improve the horticulture industry. The popularity of CRISPR/Cas9 technology is owed to its cost-effectiveness associated with speed breeding and versatility. In this chapter, we discuss the latest advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its potential applications to enhance the future of plant genetics. The CRISPR delivery methodologies in plants and the experimental procedures to improve the gene editing efficiencies in plants like tomato, petunia, and tobacco have been briefly discussed. This chapter focuses on the use of gene editing to address the issue of allergens in common horticultural crops, develop more resilient crops, and enhance traits like color, nutritional value, and yield. This chapter was put together to aid in establishing a thorough understanding of the CRISPR/Cas9 systems and serve as a resource for furthering the development of this technology to successfully control agricultural plant features.