CRISPR/Cas-Mediated Genome Editing for Improving Key Traits in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plays a crucial role in meeting global food demands due to its extensive cultivation and high nutritional value. Despite their significance, potatoes are subjected to biotic and abiotic stresses that hamper their growth and productivity. Traditional breeding methods have been used to develop disease-resistant and pest-resistant potato varieties; however, progress is slow due to lengthy breeding cycles. Genome editing (GE) allows precise and efficient modification of genomic loci to create elite crop varieties with desired traits. Among various GE tools, the advent of the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system represents a major advancement in genetic engineering. This tool allows precise mutagenesis, gene knockouts, multiplex GE, and gene expression manipulations, thereby significantly advancing crop research and the development of designer crops. In autopolyploid crops like potatoes, CRISPR/Cas-based GE technology has been employed to manage various important traits, such as disease resistance, by targeting the genes involved in viral replication, susceptibility factors, and by introducing resistance genes. The CRISPR/Cas tool has also enhanced the tolerance to abiotic stresses, such as drought and salinity, making the potato more resilient to changing environmental conditions. Additionally, this technology has improved tuber quality by manipulating amylose and amylopectin contents, and by reducing steroidal glycoalkaloid content and enzymatic browning. The present review article delves into CRISPR/Cas technology and highlights its potential to improve key traits in potatoes.