CRISPR Plants against Fungal Diseases: Methods and Applications

Abstract

There is a long list of fungal pathogens that severely affect the vegetation globally. Worldwide, 10–23% of crops are lost to fungal infections every year, and an additional 10–20% is lost post-harvest. Fungi have become a global threat to food security because of their capacity to grow exponentially. Conventional methods of disease control such as breeding for resistance and the use of chemical fungicides have shortcomings in terms of sustainability and effectiveness. However, clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat (CRISPR) plants have come to light as a significant tool in combating fungal diseases. CRISPR/CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) is a revolutionary technology for gene editing based on an adaptive immune strategy observed in bacteria and archaea. The emergence of CRISPR technology has tremendously helped in the improvement of economically important crops because of its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, specificity, and user-friendliness. Researchers can improve the defense response of plants or stop the virulence factor expression in fungi. This chapter provides a brief summation of different methods of CRISPR technology in developing fungal disease-resistant plants. These methods involve using CRISPR technology to edit host plant genomes or by targeting fungal pathogens. We have also focused on CRISPR-mediated gene regulation methods such as CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa), which can help us to regulate the expression of specific genes involved in plant–fungal interaction. Another method involves a combination of RNA interference with CRISPR technology. Each method mentioned in this chapter is supported by examples of research studies conducted by different researchers and scientists. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.