The prokaryote-derived CRISPR–Cas genome editing technology has altered plant molecular biology beyond all expectations. Characterized by robustness and high target specificity and programmability, CRISPR–Cas allows precise genetic manipulation of crop species, which provides the opportunity to create germplasms with beneficial traits and to develop novel, more sustainable agricultural systems. Furthermore, the numerous emerging biotechnologies based on CRISPR–Cas platforms have expanded the toolbox of fundamental research and plant synthetic biology. In this Review, we first briefly describe gene editing by CRISPR–Cas, focusing on the newest, precise gene editing technologies such as base editing and prime editing. We then discuss the most important applications of CRISPR–Cas in increasing plant yield, quality, disease resistance and herbicide resistance, breeding and accelerated domestication. We also highlight the most recent breakthroughs in CRISPR–Cas-related plant biotechnologies, including CRISPR–Cas reagent delivery, gene regulation, multiplexed gene editing and mutagenesis and directed evolution technologies. Finally, we discuss prospective applications of this game-changing technology.

原核生物衍生的CRISPR-Cas基因组编辑技术改变了植物分子生物学，超出了所有人的预期。CRISPR-Cas具有健壮性，高靶标特异性和可编程性的特点，可以对农作物进行精确的基因操作，从而提供了创造具有有益性状的种质并发展新型，更具可持续性的农业系统的机会。此外，基于CRISPR–Cas平台的众多新兴生物技术扩展了基础研究和植物合成生物学的工具箱。在本综述中，我们首先简要介绍CRISPR–Cas的基因编辑，重点介绍最新，精确的基因编辑技术，例如碱基编辑和引物编辑。然后，我们将讨论CRISPR–Cas在提高植物产量，质量，抗病性和除草剂抗性，繁殖和加速驯化。我们还将重点介绍CRISPR-Cas相关植物生物技术的最新突破，包括CRISPR-Cas试剂递送，基因调控，多重基因编辑和诱变以及定向进化技术。最后，我们讨论了这种改变游戏规则的技术的预期应用。