Biotechnology Bulletin ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (8): 8-21.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2025-1321

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Research Progress in Herbicide-resistant Rice Created by Gene Editing

JIN Man1, GONG Yi-hang2, PAN Wen-bo2, LUO Pei-run1, GAO Wei2, LI Ping-dong1(), TANG Xiao-yan2,3()   

  1. 1.Shenzhen Inspection and Testing Center of Agricultural Product Quality and Safety, Shenzhen 518100
    2.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631
    3.Shenzhen Institute of Molecular Crop Design, Shenzhen 518100
  • Received:2025-12-05 Online:2026-08-26 Published:2026-08-17
  • Contact: LI Ping-dong, TANG Xiao-yan E-mail:371470755@qq.com;txy@frontier-ag.com

Abstract:

Weeds are a major limiting factor in rice production, as they not only cause significant reductions in rice yield and quality but also escalate the costs of field management. The development of herbicide-resistant rice varieties is therefore a core strategy for efficient weed control in rice cultivation, as it can effectively extend the application scope and period of herbicides. Gene editing technology, endowed with efficient, precise, and rapid targeted modification capabilities, has overcome the inherent bottlenecks of traditional breeding approaches-including long breeding cycles, poor directional selectivity, and heavy reliance on elite germplasm resources-thus providing a revolutionary technical tool for the development of herbicide-resistant crops. This paper systematically reviews the latest research progress in the application of gene editing technology to herbicide-resistant rice breeding and briefly elaborates on the core working principles of the three most widely adopted gene editing systems to date: CRISPR/Cas-mediated NHEJ/HDR, base editing, and prime editing. It focuses on the applications of these three systems in the genetic improvement of key herbicide target genes in rice, including ALS, ACCase, EPSPS, GS, HPPD, and TubA2. Additionally, this study summarizes the mutation types induced by gene editing, along with the corresponding types and levels of herbicide resistance achieved in rice following the modification of these target genes. Finally, in light of the current challenges confronting the development and breeding of herbicide-resistant rice, prospects are proposed for the further optimization and advancement of gene editing technologies, the mining of novel functional genes, and the enhancement of environmental safety and sustainable development in this field. This review aims to provide a comprehensive reference for subsequent research and practical applications of new herbicide-resistant rice varieties.

Key words: rice, genome editing, base editing, prime editing, herbicide resistance