Abiotic stress enhancement tools for improving crop tolerance

Abstract

Abiotic stresses create an unfavourable environment for plant growth, increasing the possibilities of low yield and associated economic loss. Several steps have been taken to address this problem. During the last twenty years, techniques of genetic engineering/transgenic breeding have made significant advances in gene manipulation for inciting desirable traits in transgenic plants. Transgenic techniques allow us to identify potential genes, transcription factors (TFs) and miRNAs, engaged in certain processes in plants, allowing us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the processes at molecular and physiological levels which determine plant resilience and production. The reliability and specificity of this approach ensure that future plant enhancements will be a huge success. As a result, transgenic breeding has determined to be a viable strategy in improving crop abiotic stress tolerance. The approach of CRISPR/Cas gene-editing technique to create stress-tolerant plant variants is gaining popularity right now. The researchers like this user-friendly technology because of its versatility. In the gene-editing process, the DNA sequence "CRISPR" and the endonuclease "Cas" collaborate under the supervision of specific guide RNA. In a variety of plant species, the CRISPR/Cas system is being utilized. In the majority of situations, Cas9 is employed. Various reports have surfaced which demonstrate the utilization of CRISPR/Cas9 technology to improve abiotic stress tolerance of plants. The focus of this review is on the promising and effective applications of transgenic plant breeding for enhancing environmental stress tolerance and crop productivity, as well as its recent developments.