Targeted improvement of stress tolerance, nutritional quality and yield of crops using Genome Editing in Sugarcane

Editing of the MATL gene by CRISPR-Cas for haploid induction in sugarcane

The poly cistronic tRNA gRNA method was optimized to edit the matrilineal (MATL) gene in sugarcane using three CRISPR-based DNA constructs. Guide RNAs with high cutting efficiency were selected and combined into a single editing system. The constructs were first tested and then transferred into sugarcane.  More than 300 transformed plants were screened using DNA-based tests, and two plants were finally confirmed to carry the desired gene edits.