Genome editing in future crop protection: utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 to improve crop resistance against diseases, pests, and weeds

Abstract Increasing population and climate change pose significant threats to global food security by imposing stresses on plants, making them more susceptible to diseases and productivity losses caused by pathogens, pests, and weeds. Traditional breeding strategies are insufficient for rapid development of new plant traits that can outpace this productivity downtrend. Modern advances in genome editing technologies, particularly CRISPR/Cas9, have revolutionised crop protection through precise and targeted genome modifications. This allows for the development of resilient crops with enhanced resistance against pathogens, pests, and weeds. This review explores various approaches with which CRISPR/Cas9 is applied for crop protection: knocking out of susceptibility genes, introduction of resistance genes, and modulation of defence genes. Potential applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in crop protection include the introduction of genes conferring resistance to pathogens, disruption of insect genes responsible for survival and reproduction and engineering of herbicide-resistant crops. In conclusion, CRISPR/Cas9 holds great promises in advancing crop protection and thus ensuring food security amidst environmental and population pressures. This review highlights the transformative potential of genome editing in crop protection and calls for continued research and development in this field.