Gene Editing: Paving the Way for Enhancing Plant Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses-Mechanisms, Breakthroughs, and Future Prospects

Abstract

Changes in climatic conditions increase the frequency of severity caused by abiotic stress. Understanding the physiological responses to abiotic stress is crucial for developing action plans to increase stress tolerance in plants, whether through classical breeding, genetic engineering, or other innovative approaches. Gene editing in plants is a quickly advancing field that involves the targeted modification of plant genomes to achieve specific traits or characteristics. One of the plants’ most extensively used gene-editing technologies is Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9). CRISPR-Cas9 allows making precise changes to the DNA of plants by introducing targeted mutations. Efforts to address these challenges involve the development of stress-tolerant plant varieties through breeding, genetic engineering, and gene editing. These approaches aim to increase the ability of plants to withstand and recover from abiotic stress, ultimately improving crop resilience, quality, and yield in challenging environments. Additionally, sustainable agricultural practices and precision farming techniques can be employed to optimize resource use and mitigate the impact of abiotic stresses on crop production.