ABSTRACT
Antiviral engineering, pioneered by molecular biotechnology, has proved to be a successful technique for preventing and controlling viruses, which cause devastating diseases in plants. DNA or RNA editing/interference induced by the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system in plants has recently advanced to the point where it is a highly interesting technique suited to the crop protection area. Thus, it has been discussed that how CRISPR-Cas systems evolved and has been explained that how they have been used to suppress several plant viruses by editing host genes that confer resistance to infection. In this chapter, a list of various recessive resistance genes has been provided that could be used in antiviral breeding, and the necessity and promise of using recessive resistance gene-based antiviral breeding have been discussed to create transgene-free plants devoid of developmental abnormalities. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of using the CRISPR-Cas approaches for field-based viral prevention and management in plants have been described.
