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Improving Crop Tolerance to Abiotic Stress for Sustainable Agriculture: Progress in Manipulating Ascorbic Acid Metabolism via Genome Editing

Author

Listed:
  • Ugo Rogo

    (Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, I-56124 Pisa, Italy)

  • Ambra Viviani

    (Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Technologies (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin, 44, I-40127 Bologna, Italy)

  • Claudio Pugliesi

    (Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, I-56124 Pisa, Italy)

  • Marco Fambrini

    (Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, I-56124 Pisa, Italy)

  • Gabriele Usai

    (Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, I-56124 Pisa, Italy)

  • Marco Castellacci

    (Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, I-56124 Pisa, Italy)

  • Samuel Simoni

    (Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, I-56124 Pisa, Italy)

Abstract

Plants often encounter challenging environmental factors, including intense sunlight, drought, extreme heat, cold temperatures, salinity, excessive metals, and nutrient shortages, which can heavily affect their growth and survival. In this regard, L-ascorbic acid (AsA) is not only an essential nutrient for human health but also plays a significant role in plant responses to environmental stresses, regulating various functions during growth and development, redox signaling, and phytohormone biosynthesis. The growing need to cope with climate change, together with the advancement of CRISPR/Cas9-editing technologies, stimulated new opportunities to enhance AsA biosynthesis to improve crop stress tolerance. In this review, we discuss the biosynthesis and regulation of AsA in abiotic stress response mechanisms. We also explore the latest advancements of CRISPR/Cas9 technologies, their applications, and their challenges as tools for modifying genes associated with AsA metabolism, aiming to develop crops more tolerant and resilient to environmental changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Ugo Rogo & Ambra Viviani & Claudio Pugliesi & Marco Fambrini & Gabriele Usai & Marco Castellacci & Samuel Simoni, 2025. "Improving Crop Tolerance to Abiotic Stress for Sustainable Agriculture: Progress in Manipulating Ascorbic Acid Metabolism via Genome Editing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-32, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:2:p:719-:d:1569617
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Maria Stolarz, 2025. "Integration of Plant Electrophysiology and Time-Lapse Video Analysis via Artificial Intelligence for the Advancement of Precision Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-17, June.

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