CRISPR-Editing of Sweet Basil ( L.) Homoserine Kinase Gene for Improved Downy Mildew Disease Resistance.

Sweet basil ( L.) downy mildew disease (DM) caused by is a worldwide threat to the basil industry due to the lack of natural genetic resistance in sweet basil germplasm collections. In this study, we used CRISPR-gene editing to modify the sweet basil DM susceptibility gene (). Gene-edited plants challenged with displayed a significantly reduced susceptibility to DM, based on phenotypic disease indices and on pathogen load. These results suggest that plays a role in conditioning DM susceptibility, similar to that observed for the gene in Arabidopsis. These results demonstrate the utility of CRISPR-gene editing in enhancing DM resistance and contributing to sweet basil breeding programs.