Global Status, Scope and Future Prospects of Biotechnology in Vegetable Crops

Abstract

Vegetable crops play an indispensable role in global food and nutritional security, yet their production is limited by many challenges. Biotechnology has revolutionised the improvement of vegetable crops worldwide through modern technologies such as genetic engineering, marker-assisted selection, CRISPR/Cas genome editing, tissue culture and molecular breeding, resulted in the development of climate-resilient, nutritionally enriched and highyielding cultivars that have helped to reshape the vegetable production system. Landmark achievements in plant biotechnology, namely virus-free planting material, multiple disease resistance, Bt brinjal, Flavr Savr tomato, Purple Tomato™, genome-edited GABA tomato and high anthocyanin/carotene content have revolutionised vegetable production systems globally. In addition, new intervention options such as biofortification, edible vaccines, RNA interference and biotechnology-based hybrid breeding are not only creating possibilities at the interface of agriculture and nutrition but also in public health. This status paper highlights recent advances, successful applications and emerging opportunities of biotechnology to strengthen vegetable production under changing climatic conditions.