CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing for enhancing grain quality traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice is one of the most important food crops and feeds more than half of the world's population. Enhancing grain quality is currently a highly important issue since consumers are now more concerned with the taste, appearance, and nutritional value of the grain. The quality of grain in rice is complex and regulated by a multitude of genes that influence qualities such as amylase content, grain size and shape, chalkiness, aroma and nutrient content. The traditional forms of breeding, such as hybridization and marker-assisted selection, are slow and less effective since such characteristics are regulated by many genes and are influenced by environmental conditions. CRISPR/Cas genome editing has become a potent tool that enables scientists to directly and specifically edit grain quality-related genes. Important genes such as Wx (amylose), GS3, GW8, and TGW3 (grain size), Chalk5 (chalkiness), BADH2 (aroma), and nutrient-related grain size genes such as OsAAP6, OsAAP10, and OsVIT1/2, have been successfully edited to enhance the quality of rice. Newer methods, such as base editing and prime editing, enable this process to become even more precise by modifying the specific bases of DNA without cutting the DNA. CRISPR has assisted in the improvement of rice by controlling the amylose content, reducing chalkiness, enhancing aroma, and improving nutritional quality. It is more accurate and quicker than traditional breeding, and it can enhance various traits simultaneously. Nonetheless, other challenges, such as off-target effects, regulatory concerns, and acceptance by the people, still have to be overcome. Combining CRISPR with artificial intelligence and genomic selection in the future will aid in creating superior versions of rice in shorter periods of time. Overall, CRISPR/Cas genome editing is a potential method to enhance the quality of rice and secure food security in the whole world.