Synthetic biology and artificial intelligence in crop improvement

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Biotechnology
• Genetics

Background:

• Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to modify plants for improved traits and bioproduction.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) offers powerful design and learning capabilities, increasingly relevant to crop breeding.
• A systematic review of AI-driven synthetic biology in plant engineering is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review engineering principles in crop synthetic biology.
• To explore AI applications in plant engineering and crop improvement.
• To propose AI-empowered synthetic biotechnology for advanced crop development.

Main Methods:

• Review of fundamental engineering principles in crop synthetic biology.
• Discussion of genetic circuit design approaches: gene editing, synthetic nucleic acids/proteins, multi-omics, genomic selection, protein engineering, and AI.
• Outline of strategies for crop trait enhancement and development.

Main Results:

• Synthetic biology enables redesign of biological components for enhanced crop yields, nutrient absorption, resilience, and quality.
• AI integration accelerates design and learning cycles in crop engineering.
• Proposed development of SMART (self-monitoring, adapted, and responsive technology) crops.

Conclusions:

• AI-driven synthetic biology presents a transformative approach to crop improvement.
• Addressing challenges in synthetic biology development is crucial for realizing its full potential.
• Future crop development can be significantly advanced through AI-empowered synthetic biotechnology.