CRISPR/CAS-BASED EDITING OF GENES AFFECTING YIELD COMPONENT AND QUALITY TRAITS IN HARD WINTER WHEAT

Overall goal: Evaluate the effects of CRISPR-Cas-induced diversity on the targeted traits assessed in the winter wheat germplasm under field conditions, and investigate interaction between the engineered alleles and productivity and grain quality QTL existing in winter wheat germplasm. Devise better strategies for incorporating the CRISPR-induced alleles into the hard winter wheat breeding process.The specific objectives of the project:1) CRISPR-assisted transfer of validated gene variants affecting yield component traits into the hard winter wheat germplasm.2) Apply prime editing technology for creating base substitutions in the coding regions of genes affecting wheat productivity traits.3) Evaluate the effects of gene editing on yield and grain quality traits in hard winter wheat germplasm.4) Broadening training opportunities in genome editing technologies for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.