Advances in Modern Biotechnological Tools for Sustainable Control of Plant Viral Diseases

Abstract

Plant viruses pose a major threat to global food production, causing yield losses across many staple and horticultural crops. Conventional breeding for resistance is typically slow and constrained by the number of available natural resistance genes. Recent breakthroughs in biotechnology have enabled the development of accurate, flexible, and environmentally friendly technologies to confer virus resistance. This review summarizes exciting developments in RNA interference (RNAi), artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs), CRISPR/Cas genome editing, nanobiotechnology-based delivery systems, host-derived artificial microRNAs, molecular mechanisms, and coat protein-mediated resistance or antiviral technology. Both RNAi and amiRNA engineered technologies utilize the plant’s own silencing machinery to degrade viral transcripts. In contrast, CRISPR/Cas systems can facilitate targeted editing of host susceptibility genes or specific cleavage of viral genomes, leading to stable, heritable resistance. Nanobiotechnology offers a strong non-transgenic delivery platform to increase the stability and uptake of dsRNA and CRISPR components in plants. Also, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) enables rapid functional validation of antiviral genes, and coat protein–mediated resistance (CPMR) represents a foundation for pathogen-derived protection. The combination of these molecular tools with synthetic biology and metabolic engineering facilitates the design of programmable, multi-layered defense networks. Collectively, these new biotechnological tools represent a significant departure from conventional breeding toward precision-based crop improvement. With the compound virtues of durability, broad-spectrum nature, and climate-resilient solutions for controlling plant viral diseases, it is possible to achieve sustainable agricultural productivity.