Site-directed Mutagenesis's Prospective Uses in Enhancing Cereal Crops
Mamata Subedi
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144411, Punjab, India.
Pratikshya Paudel
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144411, Punjab, India.
Shubham Gopera
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144411, Punjab, India.
Abhishek Sharma
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144411, Punjab, India.
Sanjeet Singh Sandal *
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144411, Punjab, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
By 2050, there will be 9.8 billion people on the planet, which means that food production must grow by 50% globally. Using conventional plant breeding techniques alone may not be able to meet these increasing demands. A crop's yield, nutritional value, and stress tolerance may all be precisely and quickly improved with the use of genetic engineering tools like site-directed mutagenesis. The most recent site-directed mutagenesis methods—such as genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9—and their uses for crop improvement are covered in this study. A comparison is made between the advantages and disadvantages of various methods. The main goals for improving crops are discussed, such as the genes involved in yield, nutrient biosynthesis, disease and insect resistance, and abiotic stress tolerance. We highlight notable applications of site-directed mutagenesis in crops. We evaluate the field's current problems, including unclear regulations and off-target consequences. Though further study and the creation of policies are required, site-directed mutagenesis holds up a lot of hope for providing future food demands in a sustainable manner. This paper summarizes the potential applications of site-directed mutagenesis in targeted crop development, both in the present and the future.
Keywords: Site-directed mutagenesis, gene modification, off target effect, CRISPR/Cas9, crop improvement