CRISPR and Food Security: Applications in Cereal Crops

The world population is expected to increase to 10 billion by the year 2050. The outbreak of new pests, diseases and reduction in agricultural arable land leads to yield loss and food insecurity. Among several cultivated crops, cereals are the major source of food to the world population. Along with molecular breeding methods to increase yield, modern biotechnological tools need to be employed to meet out these future demands. CRISPR/Cas9 is an efficient precise gene-editing tool that creates double-stranded breaks by using site-specific nuclease enzyme called Cas9 nuclease. Till date, efforts have been made to modify genes targeting yield increase, grain and nutritional quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, development of male sterile lines, increasing dormancy duration, etc., using CRISPR-based non-transgenic genome editing tool. The available data suggests that the application of CRISPR technology in a timely manner would complement and supplement conventional and molecular plant breeding approaches to ensure global food and nutritional security in future.