The Future of Sustainable Cropping Systems: Combining VIGS and CRISPR

Sustainable agriculture puts more pressure in the demand of the crops compelling the crops characteristics to be more enduring and resilient to any form of the environmental stresses. Virus- Induced Gene silencing and CRISPR- Cas9 Technology: These two technologies are the newest transformative solutions to genetic engineering of plants. They both possess varying abilities, which are needed in crop betterment. VIGS is a transient and transgene-free instrument allowing a quick silencing of genes and functional analysis. CRISPR- Cas9 is permanent and targeted genome editing. In this review, a combined potential of VIGS and CRISPR is described in terms of generating resilient crop to climate changes. Conducting VIGS to perform initial temporary evaluation of gene functions before long-lasting alterations are made to the plants using CRISPR is a more effective way towards creating plants with improved drought and stress resistance, resistance to diseases and efficient utilization of nutrients. The potential of both VIGS and CRISPR in managing two of the most significant issues in the field of agriculture: developing crops resistant to harsh weather conditions and those that do not rely on chemical fertilizers to such an extent. An example is that the silence of expression of the weakenss genes in the case of infection is facilitated by means of VIGS, and the silence of resistance genes in the case of CRISPR, thus, making a two layer system in the defense of plants. A combination of the two technologies by targeting nutrient uptake pathways might further offer crops that do well in the low-input regime of sustainable farming systems to the biodiversity and soil health. Practically, though, there are certain issues like the technical assimilation of these technologies, problems connected with the regulation, as well as the image of genetically modified crops in the eyes of the general population. These issues are discussed in this paper and suggestions are made on transparency strategies to increase the acceptance and cooperation between academia, government and industry.Therefore, the optimal way to address the future research would be to study the delivery of VIGS and CRISPR components, the identification of the traits, which is key to sustainable cropping, and building partnership to begin working on sustainable agriculture. The combination of VIGS and  CRISPR  is, in general,  possibly a pioneer to a new horizon of sustainable  climate-resilient cultivation systems, striking a balance between agriculture efficiency and environmental protection.