CRISPR Improves Leaf Rust Resistance of Wheat

A study published in Plant Biotechnology Journal shows that the knockout of GRAIN WIDTH2 (TaGW2) improved the leaf rust resistance of wheat without compromising its yield. The findings provide significant insights into the development of effective strategies to combat leaf rust in wheat.

Wheat leaf rust is a major fungal disease caused by Puccinia triticina Eriksson (Pt). According to reports, it causes 30% to 50% yield losses in wheat production. Researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 technology in the Fielder cultivar to generate TaGW2-6A overexpression (OE) transgenic plants and TaGW2 knockout (KO) plants.

The results of the study show that OE plants had more uredia and the KO plants had fewer. The analysis also shows an increase in hydrogen peroxide accumulation and reduced hyphal length and number in KO plants, opposite to OE plants. This indicates that the loss of TaGW2 function improves the resistance of wheat against Pt.

For more information, read the article from Plant Biotechnology Journal.

See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/ged/article/default.asp?ID=20710