Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42469498›Full record

ReviewFunctional & integrative genomics2026

CRISPR-enabled functional genomics for bolstering plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress; a comprehensive review.

Tahir Khan, Aamir Ali Abro, Usman Zulfiqar, Mohammed S Alotaibi, Dilnozakhon Asadullaeva, Rustamjon Allaberdiev, Xuefei Tang, Guoqiang Fan

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Functional & integrative genomics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Tahir Khan *Institute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P. R. China.
Aamir Ali Abro *Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Xudong 2nd Road, Wuhan, 430062, China.
Usman ZulfiqarDepartment of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan. usman.zulfiqar@iub.edu.pk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3820-1476
Mohammed S AlotaibiDepartment of Biology, Turabah University College, Taif University, Taif, 21995, Saudi Arabia.
Dilnozakhon AsadullaevaDepartment of Forestry and Landscape Design, Tashkent State Agrarian University, 2A Universitet Str., Kibray district, Tashkent, 100700, Uzbekistan.
Rustamjon AllaberdievDepartment of Ecology, National University of Uzbekistan, 4 University Str., Tashkent, 100174, Uzbekistan.
Xuefei TangInstitute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P. R. China.
Guoqiang FanInstitute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P. R. China. zlxx64@henau.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Climate change intensifies abiotic stresses including salinity, drought, and extreme temperatures alongside biotic threats such as pathogens and insect pests, collectively undermining global crop productivity and food security. Salinity and drought alone affect 20-50% of irrigated soils, with projections indicating that nearly half of global farmland could become saline by mid-century. Conventional breeding and earlier genome editing tools zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (ZFNs, TALENs) are constrained by genetic diversity limitations, technical complexity, and slow trait deployment. The CRISPR-Cas9 system has emerged as a transformative platform offering superior precision, efficiency, scalability, and affordability for crop improvement. This review systematically examines how CRISPR-Cas9 enables targeted engineering of stress tolerance in major crops (rice, wheat, maize, tomato, barley) through gene knockout and knock-in strategies. Key applications include editing transcription factors (ART1, DRO1, OsDST) for drought and salinity tolerance, modifying transporter genes (OsHMA2, OsNramp5) for heavy metal detoxification, and disrupting susceptibility genes (MLO, OsERF922, CsLOB1) for broad-spectrum disease and pest resistance. Beyond direct editing, we highlight emerging synergies with functional genomics, multi-omics integration, and high-throughput phenotyping to accelerate target discovery and validation. A central focus is placed on nanobiotechnology-enabled CRISPR delivery systems, including lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), exosomes, and engineered nanocarriers that overcome the plant cell wall barrier a major bottleneck in plant genetic transformation. These platforms enable efficient, genotype-independent delivery of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, facilitating DNA-free editing for sustainable crop protection. By integrating CRISPR-based precision with advances in nanodelivery and molecular breeding, this review outlines a road-map for developing climate-resilient, high-yielding, and nutritionally enhanced crops to safeguard global agricultural sustainability.

Indexed as

CRISPR-Cas SystemsCrops, AgriculturalGene EditingGenomicsStress, PhysiologicalDrought ResistancePlants, Genetically ModifiedCRISPR/CasGenomicsPlantStressStress-response

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.