Now for the hard ones: Is there a limit on CRISPR genome editing in crops?

Abstract

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing could revolutionize agriculture but many of the most important (and sometimes most delicious) crops are polyploid adding signifcant complexity. Martín-Pizarro et al. (2019) used CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the genome of the octoploid and highly heterozygous cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa cv. Camarosa). They provide functional evidence that FaTM6, previously annotated as FvAP3 in the diploid Fragaria vesca, is instead a member of the TM6 lineage of ?oral class B homeotic genes and critical to anther and pollen development. Striking phenotypes in the T0 generation prove that CRISPR/Cas9 can be successfully applied even to the most diffcult crops.