New breeding technologies have not only revolutionized biological science, but have also been employed to generate transgene-free products. Genome editing is a powerful technology that has been used to modify genomes of several important crops. This review describes the basic mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages of genome editing systems, such as ZFNs, TALENs, and CRISPR/Cas. Secondly, we summarize in detail all studies of the CRISPR/Cas system applied to potato and other tuber crops, such as sweet potato, cassava, yam, and carrot. Genes associated with self-incompatibility, abiotic-biotic resistance, nutrient–antinutrient content, and post-harvest factors targeted utilizing the CRISPR/Cas system are analyzed in this review. We hope that this review provides fundamental information that will be useful for future breeding of tuber crops to develop novel cultivars.

Post-transcriptional gene silencing is commonly observed in polyploid species and often poses a major limitation to plant improvement via biotechnology. Five plant viral suppressors of RNA silencing were evaluated for their ability to counteract gene silencing and enhance the expression of the Enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein (EYFP) or the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene in sugarcane, a major sugar and biomass producing polyploid. Functionality of these suppressors was first verified in Nicotiana benthamiana and onion epidermal cells, and later tested by transient expression in sugarcane young leaf segments and protoplasts. In young leaf segments co-expressing a suppressor, EYFP reached its maximum expression at 48–96 h post-DNA introduction and maintained its peak expression for a longer time compared with that in the absence of a suppressor. Among the five suppressors, Tomato bushy stunt virus-encoded P19 and Barley stripe mosaic virus-encoded γb were the most efficient. Co-expression with P19 and γb enhanced EYFP expression 4.6-fold and 3.6-fold in young leaf segments, and GUS activity 2.3-fold and 2.4-fold in protoplasts compared with those in the absence of a suppressor, respectively. In transgenic sugarcane, co-expression of GUS and P19 suppressor showed the highest accumulation of GUS levels with an average of 2.7-fold more than when GUS was expressed alone, with no detrimental phenotypic effects. The two established transient expression assays, based on young leaf segments and protoplasts, and confirmed by stable transgene expression, offer a rapid versatile system to verify the efficiency of RNA silencing suppressors that proved to be valuable in enhancing and stabilizing transgene expression in sugarcane.

Soil contamination caused by industrial and agricultural activities is an environmental problem that poses a serious risk to human health and the ecosystem. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic chemicals that persist in the environment for long periods because of their high resistance to photolytic, chemical, and biological degradation. Besides POPs, high concentrations of non-essential heavy metals and metalloids, such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead, are increasingly becoming a problem worldwide. Remediation strategies for organic and inorganic pollutants in the environment have received global attention. For organic or inorganic contaminants, phytoremediation is the strategy of choice because of a green technology that uses plants and solar energy to clean hyper-accumulated toxic pollutants from the environment. Some plant species have a high capacity to grow and survive in elevated levels of contaminants. With a long cultivation history and adaptability to a wide range of territories, alfalfa has not only widely been used for animal feed and a medicinal herb but is also an ideal natural resource and model plant for remediation of contaminated soils, offering a variety of elite characteristics. This review provides, firstly, abundant genomic information on the genetic diversity and population structure of alfalfa. Secondly, we focused on the transgenic alfalfa plants for enhanced phytoremediation of POPs, such as atrazine, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), and trichloroethylene (TCE), as well as phytoremediation of petroleum and heavy metals. Thirdly, the future perspective of enhancement of phytoremediation efficiency was discussed in depth. This review is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the phytoremediation capabilities of transgenic alfalfa plants, presenting fundamental information for future research studies for enhancing phytoremediation efficiency.

In Kazakhstan, the genus Tulipa is represented by 35 species, 18 of which are listed in the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan and protected by the state. Recent studies of tulip specimens from regions bordering Kazakhstan emphasize the significance of species inventory and report the discovery of several hybrids. In this study, eight tulip species were identified based on morphological characteristics and using DNA barcoding methods. Molecular genetic markers, including nrDNA (ITS) and cpDNA markers (rbcL, matK), of the studied species were sequenced and analyzed using the Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis methods. Our work demonstrates that DNA barcodes based on the ITS, rbcL, and matK marker regions have successful practical applicability, with ITS being the most informative at the intragenic level. However, for distinguishing closely related taxa, the most effective approach would be to use a combined dataset of sequences from multiple DNA markers. The results showed discrepancies in the placement of several taxa (T. kaufmanniana, T. patens), likely due to introgression and natural spontaneous hybridization. The molecular phylogenetic analysis suggests the existence of a previously undescribed hybrid between T. patens and T. alberti. Further detailed population studies are needed to validate this hypothesis.