EFFICIENT GENE EDITING OF DIVERSE CROPS USING IN PLANTA TRANSFORMATION WITH CARBON NANOTUBES

The long-term goal of this research is to develop a high-throughput CRISPR-based gene editing workflow that will spur the next generation of breakthroughs in crop improvement for healthier foods and high-yielding, climate-resilient crops. The specific goal of this project is to test and optimize a rapid CRISPR/Cas gene editing protocol across four diverse crop species using carbon nanotube-based delivery and in planta transformation. The target crops include two monocots (rice and sorghum) and two dicots (peanut and cowpea) that comprise a diverse array of agriculturally-important crop species, but also represent several minor crops that do not yet have efficient plant transformation and gene editing systems in place. To accomplish this goal, the supporting objectives are to: (1) develop visible gene editing assays across each target crop; (2) optimize an in planta transformation protocol for rice and peanut; and (3) test the optimized in planta transformation protocol across all four target crops.