Revolutionizing cassava breeding: CRISPR-Cas9 unlocks potential for disease resistance and enhanced yield

By successfully applying CRISPR-Cas9 to enhance disease resistance, drought tolerance, and starch content, the study paves the way for more efficient cassava breeding programs.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz, 2n = 36) is one of the most important root crops globally, particularly in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is a major source of food, livestock feed, and industrial products. However, cassava cultivation faces numerous challenges, such as low yields, vulnerability to pests and diseases, and poor nutritional quality. While traditional breeding methods have been employed to address some of these issues, progress has been slow, and they often fail to produce significant improvements.

A study (DOI: 10.48130/tp-0024-0046) published in Tropical Plants on 11 February 2025 by Qiuxiang Ma and Peng Zhang’s team, Chinese Academy of Sciences, represents a breakthrough in crop biotechnology and offers a promising pathway for future applications of genome editing in cassava and other important crops.

The research uses the CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing tool to enhance cassava’s resistance to diseases, tolerance to drought, and starch content. The study identifies and targets critical genes associated with cassava mosaic disease (CMD), cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), drought stress response, and starch biosynthesis. By introducing precise edits into these genes, the researchers were able to develop cassava plants with enhanced resistance to both CMD and CBSD, which are two of the most destructive diseases affecting cassava crops globally. Additionally, edited cassava plants exhibited improved drought tolerance, an essential trait in light of the growing challenges posed by climate change. The study also reports that genome-edited cassava plants showed increased starch content, which is beneficial both for food security and industrial applications such as bioethanol production. The application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in this context offers several advantages, including increased precision, faster breeding cycles, and the creation of genetically improved varieties without the introduction of foreign DNA, which may address concerns in regions with stringent regulatory policies.

In conclusion, the research highlights the potential of genome editing to transform cassava breeding and contribute to the improvement of this vital crop. These advancements could lead to increased cassava yields, improved nutritional quality, and greater resilience to climate change and disease. The findings of this research have significant implications for global food security, particularly in developing regions where cassava is a key staple.

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References

DOI

10.48130/tp-0024-0046

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.48130/tp-0024-0046

Funding information

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32072118, 32160398), Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (NO. 1630052024001), and the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-11).

About Tropical Plants

Tropical Plants (e-ISSN 2833-9851) is the official journal of Hainan University and published by Maximum Academic Press. Tropical Plants undergoes rigorous peer review and is published in open-access format to enable swift dissemination of research findings, facilitate exchange of academic knowledge and encourage academic discourse on innovative technologies and issues emerging in tropical plant research.