Creating highly efficient resistance against Wheat dwarf virus in barley by employing CRISPR/Cas9 system.

Wheat dwarf virus (WDV) is an economically important, phloem-limited, insect-transmitted virus belonging to the Geminiviridae family (Tholt et al., 2018). WDV strains infect both wheat and barley causing severe yield losses and the natural resistance resources are limited (Nygren et al., 2015). Direct utilization of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to inhibit geminivirus replication has been described in model plants (Zaidi et al., 2016). Here we show the direct anti-viral utilization of the CRISPR/Ca9 system in an important crop plant, barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Golden promise), to establish an effective WDV resistance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.