Drought is a major abiotic stress threatening plant

The gap

Evidence profile

Stated in the future work and cells research gap and abstract sections of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 3 journals.

Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps

• The grapevine as a model plant to describe intra- and interspecific mechanisms of drought acclimation (2026) · npj Science of Plants · doi

  Ogata, T. et al. CRISPR/Cas9-targeted mutagenesis of OsERA1 confers enhanced responses to abscisic acid and drought stress and increased primary root growth under nonstressed conditions in rice. PLoS ONE 15, e0243376 (2020). 115. de Melo, B. P. et al. Transcriptional modulation of AREB-1 by 116. CRISPRa improves plant physiological performance under severe water deficit. Sci. Rep. 10, 16231 (2020). Illouz-Eliaz, N. et al. Mutations in the tomato gibberellin receptors suppress xylem proliferation and reduce water loss under waterdeficit conditions. J. Exp. Bot. 71, 3603–3612 (2020). 117. Liu, L. et al. CRISPR/Cas9 targeted mutagenesis of SlLBD40, a lateral organ boundaries domain transcription factor, enhances drought tolerance in tomato. Plant Sci. 301, 110683 (2020). 118. Nuñez-Muñoz, L. et al. Plant drought tolerance provided through genome editing of the trehalase gene. Plant Signal. Behav. 16, 1877005 (2021). 119. Naing, A. H. & Kim, C. K. Abiotic stress-induced anthocyanins in plants: their role in tolerance to abiotic stresses. Physiol. Plant 172, 1711–1723 (2021). 133. Dal Santo, S. et al. The terroir concept interpreted through grape berry metabolomics and transcriptomics. J. Vis. Exp. 116, e54410 (2016). 134. Georgiadou, E. C. et al. The effect of terroir on volatilome fingerprinting and qualitative attributes of non-irrigated grapes reveals differences on glycosylated aroma compounds. J. Sci. Food Agric. 105, 507–519 (2025). 135. Palai, G. et al. Jasmonates signalling plays a key role in modulating berry terpenes accumulation under water deficit conditions in Vitis vinifera L. (cv. Sangiovese). Environ. Exp. Bot. 236, 106171 (2025). 136. Zarrouk, O. et al. Grape ripening is regulated by deficit irrigation/ elevated temperatures according to cluster position in the canopy. Front. Plant Sci. 7, 1640 (2016). 137. Pinasseau, L. et al. Cultivar diversity of grape skin polyphenol composition and changes in response to drought investigated by LC-MS based metabolomics. Front. Plant Sci. 8, 1826 (2017). 138. Schefeldt, P. & Hrazdina, G. Co-pigmentation of anthocyanins under physiological conditions. J. Food Sci. 43, 517–520 (1978). 120. Tu, M. et al. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis of VvbZIP36 promotes anthocyanin accumulation in grapevine (Vitis vinifera). Hortic. Res. 9, uhac022 (2022). 139. Rustioni, L. et al. Copigmentation and anti-copigmentation in grape extracts studied by spectrophotometry and post-column-reaction HPLC. Food Chem. 132, 2194–2201 (2012). 121. Reta, K. et al. Canopy management practices in warm environment vineyards to improve grape yield and quality in a changing climate. A review. A vademecum to vine canopy management under the challenge of global warming. Sci. Hortic. 341, 113998 (2025). 122. Beusa, I. et al. Delaying berry ripening of Bobal and Tempranillo grapevines by late leaf removal in a semi-arid and temperate-warm climate under different water regimes. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res.

  generalstated in future workevidence 5/5
  Keywords: plant grape water drought conditions crispr mutagenesis tolerance berry food canopy targeted stress physiological tomato
• CRISPR–Cas9 Applications in plant science: Advances, challenges, and future perspectives (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  Future research in CRISPR–Cas9 plant biotechnology is expected to focus on expanding genome editing applications to orphan and underutilized crops, which are essential for regional food security but have historically received limited breeding investment (Figure 3). Advances in delivery technologies, particularly DNA-free and tissue culture-independent methods, are anticipated to broaden species applicability and improve regulatory acceptance. The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning for sgRNA design, off-target prediction, and phenotype modeling will further enhance editing precision and efficiency. Additionally, emerging CRISPR variants and programmable epigenome editors offer new opportunities for reversible and environmentally responsive gene regulation. Collectively, these innovations are expected to strengthen the role of CRISPR–Cas9 in sustainable agriculture and accelerate the development of resilient, high-performing crop varieties (Somaly & Sokra, 2026; Somaly et al., 2026a; Somaly et al., 2026b). Figure 3. Application of CRISPR-Cas9 in plant science.

  generalstated in future workevidence 5/5
  Keywords: crispr somaly plant expected editing future biotechnology focus expanding genome applications orphan underutilized crops essential
• CRISPR–Cas9 Applications in plant science: Advances, challenges, and future perspectives (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  Conventional plant breeding has limitations, and transgenic technologies have partially addressed these limitations but have their own constraints. - Genome editing technologies, including CRISPR-Cas9, have emerged as powerful alternatives for precise and predictable plant genetic improvement, but challenges remain.

  generalstated in cells research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: conventional plant breeding has limitations transgenic technologies have
• Non-plastic gene expression underlies root phenotypes involved in drought adaptation in Vitis spp. (2026) · bioRxiv · doi

  Drought is a major abiotic stress threatening plant productivity and agricultural sustainability, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive root responses to water deficit in the water use strategies continuum remain insufficiently understood, particularly in perennial crops.

  generalstated in abstractevidence 4/5
  Keywords: water drought major abiotic stress threatening plant productivity agricultural sustainability molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive root

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