Modern agriculture depends on a narrow band of plant biodiversity, with about 30 crops supplying the vast majority of global calories. This genetic uniformity, coupled with agricultural homogenization, has undermined food security and adaptability. Meanwhile, thousands of edible plant species remain underused, often due to limited genomic resources or biotechnological access. Among them, the Solanaceae family stands out with its remarkable domestication history, broad geographic cultivation, and abundant genomic data. These crops also play a central role in plant virology, offering a valuable testbed for engineered virus applications. Due to these challenges, there is a need to explore new technologies to enhance crop diversity and performance.
Researchers from CSIC-UPV, KU Leuven, University of Florida, and Kyung Hee University have outlined how Solanaceae crops can serve as a genetic and biotechnological goldmine for sustainable food systems. Published (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae205) on July 27, 2024, in Horticulture Research, the paper highlights advances in virus-based biotechnology and gene editing that could revolutionize the breeding of both mainstream and orphan crops in this family. The team combines knowledge of domestication, virology, and functional genomics to propose new pathways for rapid crop improvement using engineered viruses.
The Solanaceae family includes not only staple crops like Solanum lycopersicum and Capsicum annuum, but over 100 lesser-known species with potential for regional nutrition. This study shows how recombinant virus technologies (RVTs)—such as virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and virus-induced genome editing (VIGE)—can reprogram crop traits without relying on transgenic methods. Using Nicotiana benthamiana as a model, the authors engineered traits like early flowering via FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), fruit pigment enhancement through STAYGREEN 1 (SGR1), and compact growth via ERECTA (ER). In orphan crops like currant tomato and groundcherry, editing of genes including SELF-PRUNING (SP), SP5G, OVATE (OV), LCY-B1, and GGP1 led to increased yield, nutrient content, and better plant architecture. The paper also introduces virus delivery systems with high genome cargo capacity and local virus-based alternatives to navigate regulatory restrictions. Together, these technologies enable rapid, low-cost customization of Solanaceae crops for urban farming, stress adaptation, and nutrient enhancement.
“Solanaceae crops represent a unique convergence of biodiversity, cultural importance, and biotechnological readiness,” said Dr. Fabio Pasin, lead author of the study. “Our work shows that we can now translate decades of virus research and crop genomics into practical tools to reprogram plant traits rapidly and sustainably. These RVTs offer unprecedented versatility—not just for scientific discovery but for real agricultural innovation that can reach both global supply chains and local food systems.”
The integration of virus biotechnology with Solanaceae genomics opens a powerful avenue for sustainable agriculture. Underutilized crops can be domesticated de novo using CRISPR-based tools delivered via viruses, enhancing local nutrition and diversifying market offerings. Mechanization-friendly traits, such as crush resistance via FS8.1 or compact growth through ER, can be introduced to reduce labor costs. Nutritional biofortification—such as elevating provitamin D₃ levels by targeting 7-DR2—helps address global deficiencies. Though no engineered viruses have yet reached commercial fields, these technologies are already proving transformative in laboratories, offering a glimpse into a future of more resilient, tailored, and equitable food systems.
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References
DOI
10.1093/hr/uhae205
Original Source URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhae205
Funding information
F.P. is supported by a 'Juan de la Cierva Incorporación' contract (IJC2019-039970-I) from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain), and M.U. by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-101110621) from the European Commission. F.P. gratefully acknowledges the grants MiniVi (ELIXIR-IIB, Cineca, Italy) and BCV-2023-1-0021 (Red Española de Supercomputación, Spain), and resources provided by Centro de Supercomputación de Galicia (CESGA, Spain). C.-T.K. is supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), Republic of Korea (Grant No. 2022R1C1C1002941).
About Horticulture Research
Horticulture Research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Reports ™ from Clarivate, 2023. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, perspectives, comments, correspondence articles and letters to the editor related to all major horticultural plants and disciplines, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology, and the origination and domestication of crops.