Genome Editing of Gene Families for Crop Improvement

Abstract

Crop improvement has been a long-standing focus of agricultural research, aiming to enhance nutritional richness, aroma, visual appeal, and yield to meet the growing global food demand. Recent advances in molecular biology and genetic engineering, particularly genome editing, offer precise and targeted tools for modifying crop genomes. Traditional plant breeding methods, while successful in the past, are time-consuming, and techniques like mutagenesis and transgenesis have limitations. Genome editing techniques provide unprecedented precision and enable scientists to make desired modifications to a plant’s DNA. This chapter explores the role of genome editing, specifically in gene families, for crop improvement, highlighting its potential benefits and challenges.Gene families are crucial for important crop traits like yield, disease resistance, and environmental adaptation. However, conventional breeding methods often struggle to effectively manipulate gene families due to their complex nature. Genome editing offers a promising solution by allowing targeted modifications to specific gene family members. The precision of genome editing tools can help unravel the functions of gene family members in diverse plant species.With the challenges posed by climate change, global conflicts, and population growth, the conventional food system falls short of meeting future demands sustainably. Genome-edited crops hold promise in obtaining elite genotypes with desirable traits, contributing to a resilient and sustainable agriculture and food system. Moreover, genome editing facilitates the study of genetic diversity that governs desirable crop characteristics, benefiting both genome-edited and conventionally bred crops.