A Review on Revolutionary Strategy for Crop Improvement: Genome Editing

Abstract

Genome editing technology revolutionized crop improvement technology through sequence-specific, precise, site-directed, safe genetic manipulation and combat the major 21st century challenge such as achieving world food security meeting rising global food demand and improving food nutrition in the face of rapidly changing climate conditions. Crop improvement using conventional and molecular breeding approaches takes time, causing biosafety concerns and cannot equipoise with raising demand. Genome editing system like zinc finger nuclease (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) made a desirable targeted modification in crops for improving crop yield, nutraceutical quality and also enhance tolerance to environmental stress (biotic or abiotic) through add the desirable trait(s) and remove the undesirable. Genome manipulation tools progression creates new breakthroughs and speeds up crop improvement through site-directed mutagenesis efficiently for crop improvements to meet the ever-increasing global demand for food and produce more resilient crop with great flexibility to combat climate change.