Rapid climate change has significantly impacted agricultural production, potentially affecting global food security. Scientists and policymakers worldwide have devised various strategies to overcome various agricultural challenges. Genetic engineering techniques are used to develop various crop strains, including rice, maize, tomato, potato, and wheat, which can withstand extreme climatic fluctuations. This article discusses several genetic engineering strategies that enable plants to thrive under extreme climatic changes.
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Plants' Response to Climate Change
Plants respond to changes in climatic conditions by triggering cellular signals that pass to different parts of the plant that need to adapt, such as the root system.1 Plant signals, in the form of proteins or genetic materials, travel through cellular systems via channels in the cell walls called plasmodesmata.
Researchers have identified carbohydrates that regulate when the channels open and close in response to different stimuli, allowing signals to pass through. This information enables them to tweak the plant's behavior, as needed.
Plants have evolved to become ideal vehicles for carbon sequestration and storage, with a higher carbon storage in the root system supporting their survival in adverse conditions.2 Through genetic engineering, scientists improve this capacity, which could potentially mitigate the most acute cause of anthropogenic climate change.
Genetic Engineering Tools and Techniques to Develop Stress-Tolerant Crops
Genetic engineering techniques like CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing and transgenic breeding enable researchers to modulate the plant genome.3 Furthermore, gene deletion via multiplex single guide RNA, indels-mediated gene disruption in coding regions/promoter regions, and homology-driven gene insertion and biomimicking methods are also used to develop climate-smart crops.
CRISPR/Cas gene editing tool enables the introduction or transfer of genes that confer resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Biotechnological interventions enable climate-smart crop production, ultimately ensuring food security.
The CRISPR/Cas technique is used to develop transgenic and non-transgenic crop varieties. Transgenic breeding techniques are used to create stress-smart plants that can survive rapid climate change. For instance, transgenic wheat overexpressing TaTR1 and TaTR4 under drought conditions has been shown to increase yield in both field and greenhouse conditions.
Researchers have introduced GmDREB1 from soybean to create transgenic wheat lines that exhibited increased drought tolerance and yield by reducing membrane damage and improving photosynthetic efficiency and osmotic adjustment. Another study indicated that the overexpression of OsMADS27 enhanced salinity tolerance and grain yield in transgenic rice lines under sufficient nitrate availability.
CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing of the OsDST in Indica nega-rice cultivar MTU1010 exhibited improved grain yield under drought and salinity. This technique was also employed to develop cold tolerance in rice by knocking out the OsPRP1 gene.
Engineered Roots to Fight Climate Change
Researchers focus on identifying multiple genetic pathways that influence root development and enhance carbon content in plants. They have identified a gene, EXOCYST70A3, that could enable plants to develop deeper root systems through the dynamic modulation of auxin transport.4
EXOCYST70A3 regulates the role of auxin in root development. A deeper root system would help the plant to survive in drier climates. This gene also enables storing more carbon in the root system through a substance called suberin. Since suberin does not decompose, the roots securely store carbon within the soil, rather than letting it escape into the atmosphere.
A genetically engineered crop containing the EXOCYST70A3 gene could survive in dry, harsh environments where food insecurity has been elevated. Therefore, these crops could thrive in regions that frequently experience drought conditions.
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Experimental studies have shown that variants of the EXOCYST70A3 gene cause plants to develop deeper root systems and reorient their root systems. Therefore, this gene will enable genetic engineers to develop plants with horizontal, shallow-growing roots closer to the surface, which could be beneficial for plants growing in areas where rainfall is sporadic and light. This strategy will help plants survive in areas with scarce water resources. Researchers have focused on crops such as wheat, soy, and rice to develop these climate-resilient traits.
Carbohydrate Improves Crop Yield
Plants require sucrose for growth and development. Heterologous expression of trehalose-synthesizing genes in transgenic plants resulted in a significant improvement in plant yield.5 Researchers have engineered drought-resilient crops by enhancing trehalose production.
Trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) is also an important plant sugar signal and metabolic regulator that restricts SnRK1, a protein kinase involved in regulating sugar and energy homeostasis. Inhibition of SnRK1 by T6P in plants triggers anabolic pathways, such as starch biosynthesis, making it a potential target for yield improvement. Genetic modification of the T6P pathway has resulted in yield improvements in maize and rice varieties.
For the wheat plant, researchers altered T6P levels through chemical intervention using plant-permeable analogs of T6P designed and constructed based on a signaling precursor concept.6
Application of the chemical spray under controlled conditions revealed beneficial effects over breeding and genetic engineering methods owing to its flexibility and cost-effectiveness. This chemical acts as a biostimulant, improving crop yield by altering membrane permeability through the application of the carbohydrate spray.
Conclusions
Genetic engineering offers remarkable opportunities to develop crops resilient to environmental stresses, such as drought and salinity. By enhancing photosynthetic efficiency, plants can absorb greater amounts of carbon dioxide and boost soil carbon sequestration.
Through the precision of CRISPR techniques, scientists have successfully created crops with longer root systems, enabling them to thrive under scarce water resources while significantly increasing carbon storage.
By embracing multifaceted approaches that connect conventional agronomic practices with mitigation strategies, agriculture can be equipped to overcome the pressing challenges posed by climate change.
References and Further Reading
- Calixto CPG. Molecular aspects of heat stress sensing in land plants. Plant J. 2025;121(6):e70069. doi: 10.1111/tpj.70069.
- Eckardt NA, et al. Climate change challenges, plant science solutions. Plant Cell. 2023 Jan 2;35(1):24-66. doi: 10.1093/plcell/koac303.
- Raza A, et al. Novel Strategies for Designing Climate-Smart Crops to Ensure Sustainable Agriculture and Future Food Security. J Sustain Agric Environ. 2005; 4(2), e70048. https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70048
- Ogura T, et al. Root System Depth in Arabidopsis Is Shaped by EXOCYST70A3 via the Dynamic Modulation of Auxin Transport. Cell. 2019;178(2):400-412.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.06.021.
- Paul MJ, Watson A, Griffiths CA. Trehalose 6-phosphate signalling and impact on crop yield. Biochem Soc Trans. 2020;48(5):2127-2137. doi: 10.1042/BST20200286.
- Griffiths CA, et al. Membrane-permeable trehalose 6-phosphate precursor spray increases wheat yields in field trials. Nat Biotechnol. 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41587-025-02611-1.
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