Pyramiding favorable alleles in an elite wheat variety in one generation by CRISPR-Cas9-mediated multiplex gene editing

Abstract

Common wheat (Triticum aestivum, 2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD) is a major staple crop consumed by more than 30% of the world’s population. It is the main source of cereal-based processed products, such as bread, cookies, pasta, and noodles. Although wheat production increased by 10-fold following the Green revolution and maker-assisted breeding over the past decades, it is still facing unprecedented challenges in the context of global climate changes, growing world population, decreased farmlands, as well as water shortages in arid and semi-arid lands.