REVIEW article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Biotechnology
CRISPR/Cas Technique: Revolutionizing Solanaceae Crop Improvement or CRISPR/Cas: A Precision tool for solanaceae crop Improvement or Genome Editing in Solanaceae: Harnessing CRISPR-Cas technology for Precision Crop Improvement
Provisionally accepted
Vandana Thakur1
VIshal Johar1*
Vinita BISHT2
Shalu Vyas3Akanksha Singh4Pratyksh Pandey4Bhalendra Singh Rajput2L. S. Kandari5
Eshetu Yilma6- 1Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India
- 2Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda, India
- 3Sant Baba Bhag Singh University, Jalandhar, India
- 4Mangalayatan University, Aligarh, India
- 5Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar, India
- 6Salale University, Fiche, Ethiopia
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Abstract Malnutrition and climate-induced stress remain major constraints to global food and nutritional security despite the yield gains of the Green Revolution. Solanaceae crops such as tomato, potato, brinjal, and pepper are key sources of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. Yet, their genetic improvement has been limited by narrow diversity and complex polygenic traits. The advent of CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing provides a transformative platform for precision crop improvement by enabling targeted modification of genes controlling stress tolerance, yield, and nutritional quality. In Solanaceae, CRISPR/Cas applications have successfully enhanced resistance against major pathogens (SlMlo1, SlPelo, SlDCL2), improved abiotic stress tolerance through editing of SlMAPK3, SlCBF1, and SlBZR1, and optimized fruit quality traits via modulation of Psy1, CrtR-b2, and GAD2/3. Emerging innovations—such as base and prime editing, RNP-mediated transgene-free delivery, and AI-assisted sgRNA design are expanding the precision and scope of editing. However, challenges persist, including genotype-dependent transformation, low HDR efficiency, and incomplete understanding of off-target and epigenetic effects. Integrating CRISPR with omics-guided gene discovery, efficient transformation systems, and regulatory harmonization can accelerate the development of nutritionally enriched, stress-resilient, and sustainable Solanaceae varieties. This review synthesizes recent advances, identifies critical limitations, and outlines future opportunities for deploying CRISPR/Cas technology to achieve next-generation breeding and food system resilience.
Keywords: AI-assisted sgRNA design, base editing, CRiSPR/Cas, Genome editing, nutritional biofortification, Prime Editing, Solanaceae crops, Stress Tolerance
Received: 23 Sep 2025; Accepted: 30 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Thakur, Johar, BISHT, Vyas, Singh, Pandey, Rajput, Kandari and Yilma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: VIshal Johar
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.