Wheat production is increasingly threatened by fungal diseases that reduce yield, grain quality, and global food security. Conventional breeding has improved disease resistance but remains constrained by long breeding cycles, polyploid genome complexity, and the continual emergence of new pathogen races. CRISPR-mediated genome editing has emerged as a powerful complementary approach for developing durable and broad-spectrum disease resistance through precise modification of resistance (R) genes, susceptibility (S) genes, and immune regulatory pathways. This review critically synthesizes recent advances in CRISPR applications for major wheat fungal diseases, including powdery mildew, rusts, Fusarium head blight, and wheat blast. Emerging genome-editing technologies, such as multiplex editing, base editing, and prime editing, are discussed alongside their applications and current limitations in wheat. The review further examines biological, technical, and regulatory challenges affecting practical deployment and highlights future opportunities for integrating genome editing with modern breeding to accelerate the development of climate-resilient, disease-resistant wheat cultivars for sustainable agriculture.
ABSTRACT Prioritizing defense responses often restricts growth and yield, forming a growth–defense conflict that limits crop productivity and threatens global food security. Traditionally attributed to resource allocation constraints, this trade‐off is governed by sophisticated signaling regulatory networks. Plant G proteins act as pivotal molecular switches that initiate cellular signal transduction, and they extensively integrate plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. Recent studies have uncovered their multifaceted coordination roles in regulating crop yield and stress resistance, and elite alleles of G proteins have been identified and applied in molecular design breeding. However, the pleiotropy of most G proteins hinders the concerted control of yield and stress resilience, leading to trait divergence, which represents a key bottleneck for breeding high‐yield and stress‐tolerant crops. Here, we summarize the regulatory networks of G protein subunits in yield and quality traits and stress responses, dissect the mechanisms underlying G protein‐mediated growth‐resistance decoupling, and propose precision strategies to simultaneously enhance these agronomic traits. This review provides theoretical and practical guidance for developing high‐performance crop varieties.
This review synthesises the fundamental principles and limitations of multiple gene-editing technologies, with a particular emphasis on CRISPR systems (Cas9, Cas12, and Cas13), in the specific context of woody perennial biology, and highlights how synergising CRISPR technologies with multi-omics, genomic selection, and high-throughput phenomics can accelerate the development and application of climate-resilient woody perennials.
Climate change increasingly threatens global crop productivity by intensifying drought, salinity, temperature extremes, and biotic stresses. Developing climate-resilient cultivars has therefore become a central objective in modern crop breeding programs. Conventional breeding approaches are often limited by complex trait inheritance and long selection cycles, particularly for polygenic stress-adaptive traits. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein (Cas) genome editing genome editing provides a precise and efficient platform for targeted manipulation of genes controlling stress tolerance, yield stability, and adaptive performance. This review synthesizes recent advances in CRISPR mediated improvement of resilience to major abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, heat, and cold) and biotic stresses (fungi, bacteria, viruses, and insects) across important cereal, legume, and horticultural crops. Emphasis is placed on the editing of transcription factors, signaling regulators, susceptibility genes, and redox-associated pathways that enhance physiological and molecular stress adaptation. Furthermore, the integration of CRISPR with genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, genome-wide association studies, high-throughput phenotyping, and artificial intelligence-driven prediction tools is accelerating precision breeding strategies. Despite remaining challenges related to off-target effects, delivery systems, and regulatory frameworks, genome editing represents a transformative approach for advancing climate-resilient crop development and sustainable agricultural production.