The potential of CRISPR-Cas genome editing technologies to mitigate biotic stress in plants

Plant development is mainly impacted by biotic stresses, including disease and pests, reducing agricultural production. Genome editing methods have high efficiency, controlled, and directional editing qualities, so their use in agriculture has increased significantly in recent years. Breeding-resistant variants might greatly benefit from the deployment of genome editing methods. These strategies have produced amazing results when it comes to the resistant breeding of significant agricultural crops. One of the most effective, practical, and quick methods for successfully manipulating the target gene is the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas (CRISPR-associated) system. The Cas9 protein, an RNA-guided DNA endonuclease, causes a site-specific double-strand break that starts a DNA repair process and modifies the genome. Despite possessing two layers of defensive mechanisms: Effectors-triggered immunity (ETI) and PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) responses, plants are susceptible to phytopathogens (bacteria, fungi, viruses). The genome has been edited using CRISPR-Cas technology to strengthen plant immunity and provide long-term resistance to pathogens and insects. To improve plant life and resistance, this review explains the functions of CRISPR-Cas-mediated genome editing in plants against various biotic stresses. This review also points out the limitations of CRISPR-Cas systems, which will be the subject of future research.