Epigenetic approaches to crop breeding: current status and perspectives

In order to tackle the cumulative adverse effects of global climate change, reduced farmland, and heightened needs of an ever-increasing world population, modern agriculture is in urgent search of solutions that can ensure world food security and sustainable development. Classical crop breeding is still a powerful method to obtain crops with valued agronomical traits, but its potential is gradually being compromised by the menacing decline of genetic variation. Resorting to the epigenome as a source of variation could serve as a promising alternative. Here, we discuss current status of epigenetics-mediated crop breeding (epibreeding), highlight its advances and limitations, outline currently available methodologies, and propose novel RNA-based strategies to modify the epigenome in a gene-specific and transgene-free manner.

Automated summary

Modern agriculture is urgently seeking solutions to address the adverse effects of global climate change, reduced farmland, and increasing world population needs. Utilizing epigenetics as a source of variation in crop breeding shows potential as an alternative method. Current advancements and limitations in epigenetics-mediated crop breeding are discussed, with proposed novel RNA-based strategies for gene-specific and transgene-free modification of the epigenome.