Aug 2026· International Journal of Plant & Soil Science· 0 citations
TL;DR
Confidence in current claims of climate resilience remains low for most targets, and progress will depend on multi-environment field testing, yield-based endpoints, and extension of editing capability beyond the few genotypes that presently regenerate reliably.
Abstract
Vegetable crops occupy a small share of global cropland yet supply a disproportionate fraction of dietary micronutrients, and their short life cycles, high water demand and thermosensitive reproductive stages make them unusually exposed to a warming and more variable climate. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) editing has been promoted as a route to climate-resilient vegetable cultivars, and the descriptive literature cataloguing edited targets has expanded quickly. This critical narrative review evaluates whether that literature supports the resilience claims made for it. Peer-reviewed studies published between January 2015 and June 2026 were identified through openly accessible bibliographic indexes and citation-metadata services, appraised for design adequacy, evaluation environment and evidence-claim alignment, and synthesised thematically rather than catalogued. Three findings dominate. First, the evidence base is heavily weighted towards single-gene loss-of-function alleles created in a small number of transformation-competent model genotypes, assessed under controlled conditions using physiological proxies rather than marketable yield, so that demonstrated gene function is repeatedly reported in language implying demonstrated agronomic improvement. Second, several loci yield directionally opposite phenotypes depending on the stress applied, which indicates that stress-specific reactive oxygen species thresholds and pleiotropy are poorly resolved and that resilience cannot be treated as a single transferable trait. Third, the small number of studies that combine allele-resolution editing of regulatory sequence with field evaluation and yield endpoints produce markedly stronger inference than the knockout literature, suggesting that the principal constraint is experimental design and delivery capability rather than nuclease performance. Regulatory divergence, patent uncertainty and uneven transformation capacity across vegetable species further separate laboratory demonstration from field deployment. Confidence in current claims of climate resilience remains low for most targets, and progress will depend on multi-environment field testing, yield-based endpoints, and extension of editing capability beyond the few genotypes that presently regenerate reliably.
It is argued that AI and CRISPR are complementary components of an emerging design-build-test-learn framework rather than a mature autonomous breeding platform, and progress will depend on plant-specific benchmark datasets, prospective validation, multi-environment field trials, interoperable data standards, equitable access to transformation and computational infrastructure, and governance focused on the properties and evidence of resulting products.
Anilkumar Lalasing Chavan, Pavan Rathod G. P., Chandana Suresh K. S. et al.· Plant cell biotechnology and...· 0 citations
Whether, and where, genomic technologies have altered breeding outcomes rather than merely accelerating gene discovery is examined, and the available evidence indicates that genomic resources have substantially improved the resolution of resistance discovery and the precision of marker-assisted introgression, but have not yet demonstrably improved durability.
Vishal Singh, Mitali Tiwari, Diksha Kushwaha et al.· Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoo...· 0 citations
Weed management is increasingly constrained by herbicide resistance, shrinking chemical options, rising production costs, and the ecological consequences of repeated reliance on a small number of control tactics. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated genome editing has therefore attracted attention as a possible component of more sustainable weed management. This critical narrative review evaluates the evidence available through 29 May 2026 across four distinct intervention pathways: editing crops for selective herbicide tolerance; editing crop hosts to resist parasitic weeds; editing weeds for functional genomics or direct fitness manipulation; and developing gene-drive systems for population suppression or restoration of herbicide susceptibility. The evidence is most mature for crop-centred applications. Base editing, prime editing, homology-directed repair, and non-homologous end joining have produced herbicide-tolerant rice, wheat, maize, oilseed rape, soybean, sugarcane, and sorghum, while host editing has reduced infection by Phelipanche aegyptiaca and Striga hermonthica in controlled experiments. These studies establish technical feasibility but rarely measure system-level outcomes such as herbicide-use trajectories, seed-bank decline, biodiversity, net energy demand, multi-season yield stability, or farmer profitability. Direct editing of major weeds remains uncommon because transformation, regeneration, polyploidy, heterogeneous populations, and non-target-site resistance complicate target validation and deployment. Plant gene drives have progressed from theoretical designs to proof-of-principle inheritance bias in Arabidopsis thaliana, yet no field-ready weed drive has been demonstrated, and containment, resistance evolution, seed banks, gene flow, and governance remain decisive barriers. Sustainable use of CRISPR will therefore depend less on whether an edit produces a desired phenotype than on whether it diversifies selection, reduces total control burdens, and functions within integrated weed management. Priority research should combine molecular precision with population ecology, multi-environment trials, stewardship, transparent regulation, and participatory assessment of benefits and risks.
M. Karthik, V. Chandrika, D. Subramanyam et al.· Journal of Scientific Resear...· 0 citations
Global food security faces unparalleled obstacles due to climate change, increasing population, and micronutrient shortages, which impact billions of people worldwide. Conventional crop breeding methods, although essential, fall short of meeting the swiftly changing agricultural needs of the 21st century. This assessment explores the groundbreaking possibilities of CRISPR-driven genome editing and biofortification methods for creating climate-resilient, nutrient-rich crops. We examine the latest developments in precision genome editing techniques, concentrating on the use of CRISPR/Cas9 for improving stress resistance, disease resistance, and nutritional value in key staple crop species. Combining genomic methods with biofortification offers unique chances to address hidden hunger and enhance climate adaptation at the same time. Compared with traditional plants, CRISPR-modified plants present better drought resilience, greater disease resistance, and higher micronutrient levels. Nevertheless, obstacles persist in regulatory structures, societal acceptance, and fair technology accessibility, especially for small-scale farmers in emerging areas. This review combines existing insights, highlights areas lacking research, and suggests future pathways for utilizing biotechnological advancements to increase agricultural sustainability and human nutrition.
P. B. Angon, Sujit Mondal, A. Roy et al.· Frontiers in Plant Physiolog...· 0 citations
Climate change is conventionally analysed as a threat to Indian agriculture, yet a growing body of scattered literature also documents mechanisms through which warming, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and shifting agroclimatic boundaries could open new production possibilities for plant growers. This critical narrative review synthesises and evaluates that literature for India, asking whether the "opportunity" framing is empirically defensible once set against the dominant evidence of risk. Evidence was drawn from peer-reviewed journal articles, systematic reviews and institutional sources identified through PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Crossref-linked publisher platforms and general academic web searching. Four candidate mechanisms of opportunity were examined: the carbon dioxide fertilisation effect on C3 crop physiology; poleward and upward shifts in agroclimatic suitability that create new production zones, particularly in the Himalayan belt; the market-mediated expansion of protected and controlled-environment cultivation; and diversification into high-value, climate-tolerant horticultural, floricultural and seed-spice crops. Each mechanism carries genuine, mechanistically grounded support, but the review finds that realised gains are consistently narrower, more localised and more contingent on capital, infrastructure and institutional support than optimistic summaries suggest. Elevated carbon dioxide raises biomass and yield in controlled settings but is substantially offset by concurrent warming, nutrient dilution and water limitation under field conditions. Zone shifts documented for apple, avocado, arecanut, large cardamom and tea simultaneously displace established production at lower elevations, so that reported gains are redistributive rather than additive at the national scale. Protected cultivation and crop diversification generate credible household-level returns but remain constrained by capital cost, fragmented landholding and adoption inequality. Set against this narrower opportunity space, heat stress, water scarcity, and pest and pathogen range expansion continue to dominate national-level yield trends for staple and horticultural crops. The review concludes that climate change is best characterised not as a net opportunity for Indian plant growers but as an agent of redistribution that generates identifiable, geographically concentrated, and capital-contingent openings within an overall trajectory of increasing risk. Future research priorities and policy implications are outlined accordingly.
Prajnashree Mallick, N. Bhol, Subhasmita Parida et al.· Journal of Scientific Resear...· 0 citations
Genome editing has emerged as a transformative tool to improve crop productivity, resilience, and nutritional quality, helping address global food insecurity. Among gene-editing platforms, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/ Cas systems (notably CRISPR-Cas9) offer simple, efficient, and scalable methods for targeted modifications, including knockouts, base edits, and precise “search-and-replace” prime edits. In plants, recent advances such as improved base editors, optimized prime-editing platforms, and DNA-free delivery methods have expanded the scope of edits achievable while reducing off-target effects and regulatory concerns. This review summarizes CRISPR principles, highlights technical breakthroughs and crop applications that mitigate biotic and abiotic stresses, and outlines practical challenges and future directions necessary for responsible deployment in agriculture.
Muhammad Faran Tahir, Muhammad Hamzah Saleem, Sidra Aslam et al.· Turkish Journal of Agricultu...· 0 citations
A new method for surgically removing training examples from a model reveals that as datasets grow, the link between what a model learns and what it produces dissolves.
