# Dual‐pronged genome engineering: Enhancing crop resistance through elite allele pyramiding and susceptibility gene editing

## TL;DR

This paper shows how combining resistance genes and editing susceptibility genes can improve crop resistance to diseases like Verticillium wilt in cotton.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific resistance and susceptibility genes in cotton and demonstrates their combined use for enhancing disease resistance.

## Key findings

- Pyramiding resistance alleles and editing susceptibility genes significantly reduced Verticillium wilt severity in cotton.
- Ten resistance genes and eight susceptibility regulators were identified through genome and transcriptome analyses.
- The approach enables rapid improvement of crop disease resistance in the genomics era.

## Abstract

Developing durable crop disease resistance remains a primary breeding objective, achievable through pyramiding resistance genes and editing susceptibility (S) genes. A recent study identified 10 stable Verticillium wilt resistance genes and eight negative regulators via integrated genome‐wide association studies and transcriptome‐wide association studies‐eQTL analyses in upland cotton. Both pyramiding resistance alleles and CRISPR‐mediated knockout of S‐genes significantly reduced disease severity. These findings enable rapid implementation of disease resistance improvement in the genomics era.