Drought is the global challenge of crop agriculture across the globe. The detrimental effect of drought hinders a significant growth and development impairment leading to devastating harvest losses. Maize, a vital staple for food faces future challenges with a rapidly expanding drought area. To address this challenge, scientists and breeders are urged to develop new varieties that are not only resistant or tolerant but also even potentially thrive under drought planting conditions. New breeding technologies involving molecular biology and biotechnology have been developed and implemented thus offering a promising solution. Genetic engineering has allowed humans to straightforwardly transfer beneficial genes across species and varieties, thus deliberating gene pool transfer of similar species and varieties. Furthermore, this technology has evolved to the level of creation, deletion, or modification of existing alleles with high precision through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing. This review article delves into the morpho-physiology, biochemical, and molecular responses of maize varieties against drought stress. It subsequently explores how genetic engineering has been utilized to optimize the selected genes underlying those responses. By exploring the current progress of genetic engineering, this article aims to prepare the ground for future advancement in combating drought through drought-tolerant maize varieties. Thus, this review article has the potential to contribute to improving food security in the increasing drought challenges.

The global food security demands an increase in rice production. One of the approaches for improving rice production is through genetic engineering. This study explored the potential of genetic engineering for rice yield improvement by modifying Grassy tiller 1 (OsGT1) gene, a tillering controlling gene. By modulating its expression, rice varieties with an increased (OX) and decreased (Ri) expression of GT1 genes were successfully generated. In this work, a growth characterization experiment was conducted in greenhouse exposed to natural light and additional light exposure for 4 h. The study observed the height of the plant, the length of panicle, number of panicles, number of tillers, and grain weight. The observations indicated that OX lines exhibited significant suppression in tiller number, which might potentially allocate maximum photosynthate to grain production. In contrast, the Ri lines exhibited an increased number of tillers. Moreover, the weight of 1000 grain was significantly lower in Ri plants compared to OX and wild type plants. Although the current findings indicate the potential of GT1 modification to enhance rice productivity, additional research is required to convert these results into a comprehensive increase in rice yield. Comprehending the intricate linkages between GT1 and its vital role in influencing agronomic phenotypes and performances can illustrate how the manipulation of tiller-controlling genes substantially impacts rice productivity.

Edukasi Start-Up Lokalan.id dalam Mempertahankan Kualitas Benih Luffa cylindrica Selama Penyimpanan