Genome editing techniques in plants: a comprehensive review and future prospects toward zero hunger

Promoting sustainable agriculture and improving nutrition are the main united nation sustainable development goals by 2030. New technologies are requested to achieve zero hunger, and genome editing technology is the most promising one. In the last decade, genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas system has attracted researcher as a safer and easy tool for genome editing in several living organisms. GE has revolutionized the field of agriculture by improving biotic and abiotic stresses and yield improvement. GE technologies were developed fast lately to avoid the obstacles that face GM crops. GE technology, depending on site directed nuclease (SDN), is divided into three categories according to the modification methods. Developing transgenic-free edited plants without introducing foreign DNA meet the acceptance and regulatory ratification of several countries. There are several ongoing efforts from different countries are rapidly expanding to adopt the current technological innovations. This review summarizes the different GE technologies and their application as a way to help in ending hunger.

Automated summary

The promotion of sustainable agriculture and improvement of nutrition are the main United Nations sustainable development goals by 2030. Genome editing technology, particularly using the CRISPR/Cas system, is seen as the most promising tool to achieve zero hunger by enhancing biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and increasing yield in agriculture. Efforts are being made globally to rapidly adopt and expand the use of genome editing technologies to develop transgenic-free edited plants that meet regulatory requirements and facilitate acceptance in various countries.