Genome Editing and Trait Improvement in Wheat

Wheat is a major food source for people around the world. During the last decade, an increase in wheat productivity has been observed with the development of novel varieties by using a combination of mutational and molecular breeding approaches. Despite this progress, several environmental factors including biotic and abiotic stresses negatively affect wheat productivity; these include the emergence of new pests and pathogens, global climate change and multiple environmental issues. Keeping all these challenges in mind, there is an urgent need to produce more amount of wheat to alleviate hunger of large and rapidly growing population. In the recent past, advances in genomics and genome editing technologies by the use of engineered nucleases have brought revolution in the field of agriculture. Among several different genome-modifying tools, the CRISPR/Cas9 system is the recent and widely used genome modification tool because it is simple and highly efficient technology. CRISPR/CAS9 along with its variants has immense potential to develop new wheat varieties with higher yield potential. In the present review, we will shed light on the application of genome editing to overcome major challenges and the assessment of its future implications for the improvement of wheat grains, both qualitatively and quantitatively.