Genome Editing Approach to Develop Climate Smart Potato Variety in Bangladesh

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) occupies a significant position as the third most-consumed global food crop, underscoring its crucial role in agriculture due to its nutritional value, adaptability, and industrial applications. However, the cultivation of this crop faces numerous challenges due to its complex genetics, including traits such as heterozygosity, self-incompatibility, and tetraploid nature. In response to drought-induced stress, plants produce abscisic acid (ABA), which triggers drought-related genes and encourages the closure of stomata to endure water scarcity. In the case of potatoes, an excessive breakdown of ABA by ABA 8’-hydroxylase, a cytochrome P450 monoxygenase, enhances their ability to withstand drought. The primary objective of this research is to enhance potato's resilience to drought using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to modify ABA catabolic genes, thereby reducing the breakdown of ABA. Previous research in rice has identified three homologous genes, OsABA8ox1, OsABA8ox2, and OsABA8ox3, which encode ABA 8’-hydroxylase and have a notable impact on drought sensitivity. Lowering the expression of OsABA8ox3 has proven to increase rice's ability to withstand severe drought. Similarly, in the context of potatoes, we pinpointed two orthologous genes closely related to Arabidopsis CYP707A as potential targets for precise genome editing, with the goal of enhancing drought resistance. By making precise edits to ABA catabolic genes through CRISPR-Cas9 technology, our aim is to fine-tune ABA catabolism in potato plants, thus amplifying their capacity to endure drought. These newly engineered potato varieties are anticipated to exhibit enhanced resilience to drought, a quality of paramount importance in the face of climate change. As global temperatures rise and weather patterns become increasingly erratic, the imperative to enhance the drought resilience of staple crops such as potatoes becomes evident. This advancement promises to bolster food security and contribute significantly to global efforts aimed at addressing hunger and promoting sustainable agriculture amid the challenges posed by climate change.