CRISPR/Cas9 and Cas13a systems: a promising tool for plant breeding and plant defence

Abstract CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)– CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems are valuable tools for plant and animal genomics and can lead to improved traits such as disease resistance. Genome editing technology has revolutionized plant science to improve crop nutritional quality, yield, and resistance to abiotic stresses. Besides this, genome editing, especially the Cas13a system, is a robust tool for reducing infection and disease via plant viruses. In the following chapter, the molecular mechanisms behind Cas9- and Cas13a-based genome editing are described. Various uses of genome editing in the breeding of plants and virus defence are also discussed.