CRISPR-Cas genome editing for climate-resilient crop development: Recent advances, emerging strategies, and future prospects

Food security in the 21st century has an opponent that does not respect season or geography – a rapidly destabilising climate. Rising temperatures are increasing the geographic range of crop pathogens and exposing crops to salinity, drought and heat stress faster than conventional breeding can respond. This capability gap between breeders and farmers is widening. CRISPR-Cas genome editing has altered this calculation. After the first demonstration of targeted modifications in a crop plant, this technology progressed very rapidly from proof-of-concept to field-applicable tool. Being able to make precise, often DNA-free modifications to endogenous plant genomes circumvents the regulatory and public acceptance issues typically associated with transgenesis. The review synthesizes recent advances of CRISPR-Cas applications for abiotic stress tolerance − drought, heat, cold, salinity, and biotic resistance to bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens in major food crops along with the implications for Indian agriculture and soybean improvement. We look at the enhanced editing toolkit (base editing and prime editing) available for crop improvement as well as delivery platforms (from Agrobacterium transformation to ribonucleoprotein-based DNA-free) and evolving regulatory regimes in India, Japan, and beyond. Alongside the considerable promise, we also address persistent challenges: off-target activity in polyploid genomes, recalcitrance in transformation-resistant crops, and the still-limited translation of laboratory gains to farmer-facing varieties. The integration of CRISPR with multi-omics, artificial intelligence, and speed breeding is discussed as the most likely route to realizing the technology's full potential. Throughout, we assess not only what has been achieved, but what remains unresolved, underexplored, or contested in the literature.