CRISPR/Cas technology in vegetable crops for improving biotic, abiotic stress and quality traits: Challenges and opportunities

Vegetables are indispensable nutritional sources, forming a significant part of the human diet and holding substantial market value. However, with the expanding global population, there is an urgent need to prioritize the consumption of high-quality vegetables to improve health and address the risks posed by biotic and abiotic stresses. Conventional breeding methods are time-consuming and challenging. In contrast, CRISPR/Cas is an innovative breeding approach that offers specificity, precision, efficiency, affordability, productivity and sustainability. This review highlights the application of CRISPR/Cas technology in vegetable crop improvement and underscores its potential to revolutionize the development of novel vegetable products. The technology addresses challenges in vegetable farming and contributes to global food security by developing resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and improving quality traits. The review provides an overview of Site-Directed Nuclease (SDN)-based approaches for crop improvement, the use of Cas variants as genome editing tools, and the challenges associated with editing vegetables. It also elaborates on the regulatory and commercial status of CRISPR/Cas-edited traits. Additionally, it discusses the integration of protoplast and AI-based technologies with CRISPR/Cas to overcome editing challenges and explores the broader capabilities of CRISPR/Cas beyond genome editing. The full potential of CRISPR/Cas technology in developing novel vegetable products with multiple desirable traits is yet to be fully realized, but its judicious application could unlock significant advancements in vegetable crop improvement.