Harnessing Salinity-tolerance Genes Via CRISPR Gene Editing: A Milestone in Rice Breeding

Abstract

Salinity is a major abiotic stress limiting global rice production and threatening food security, as salinized lands continue to expand. Conventional breeding has improved salt tolerance in rice, but improvement is constrained by the complex, multigenic nature of the trait. CRISPR gene editing has revolutionized rice breeding by enabling precise functional validation of genes and regulatory elements controlling salinity tolerance. CRISPR/Cas9 precisely edits specific genes in rice to enhance salinity tolerance by knocking out negative regulators and modifying stress-responsive pathways. Numerous studies in major transcription factor families such as OsbHLH, OsMADS, OsWRKY, and OsNAC using CRISPR-based gene editing in recent years, highlight how CRISPR-edited rice lines exhibit enhanced ion homeostasis, osmotic regulation, antioxidant defense, and improved developmental traits under salinity stress. Beyond salinity tolerance, CRISPR-based gene editing opens new prospects for creating climate-smart rice, resilient to multiple abiotic stresses, including drought, submergence, acidity, and extreme temperatures, promoting sustainable food production in challenging environments.