Securing Global Rice Production: Combating Bacterial Blight Through CRISPR-Cas9 Technology

Rice (Oryza sativa) serves as the primary caloric source for over 3.5 billion people, yet its production is jeopardized by bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). This review synthesizes current knowledge on the socioeconomic importance of rice, molecular mechanisms of Xoo pathogenesis, limitations of conventional disease management, and breakthroughs in CRISPR-Cas9-mediated resistance engineering. By analyzing 28 field trials and 17 gene-editing studies, we demonstrate that CRISPR-driven disruption of susceptibility genes (e.g., OsSWEET14) reduces infection rates by 63–89%. However, regulatory fragmentation and pathogen evolutionary arms races necessitate integrated solutions. We propose a three-pillar framework combining CRISPR innovation, pathogen surveillance networks, and policy harmonization to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).