Omics: The way forward to enhance abiotic stress tolerance in Brassica napus L.

Plant abiotic stresses negative affects growth and development, causing a massive reduction in global agricultural production. Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is a major oilseed crop because of its economic value and oilseed production. However, its productivity has been reduced by many environmental adversities. Therefore, it is a prime need to grow rapeseed cultivars, which can withstand numerous abiotic stresses. To understand the various molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the abiotic stress tolerance and improvement in rapeseed, omics approaches have been extensively employed in recent years. This review summarized the recent advancement in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and their imploration in abiotic stress regulation in rapeseed. Some persisting bottlenecks have been highlighted, demanding proper attention to fully explore the omics tools. Further, the potential prospects of the CRISPR/Cas9 system for genome editing to assist molecular breeding in developing abiotic stress-tolerant rapeseed genotypes have also been explained. In short, the combination of integrated omics, genome editing, and speed breeding can alter rapeseed production worldwide.

Automated summary

Plant abiotic stresses can negatively impact growth and development, affecting global agricultural production. Rapeseed, a major oilseed crop, faces productivity reduction due to environmental adversities. Utilizing omics approaches to understand stress tolerance mechanisms and exploring CRISPR/Cas9 for genome editing can potentially improve rapeseed production globally. The integration of omics, genome editing, and speed breeding offers promising prospects for developing abiotic stress-tolerant rapeseed genotypes.