Dear Colleagues,

The genus Citrus is native to Asia, but it has spread throughout the world, occupying a prominent place due to its fresh consumption and orange juice. It is a perennial crop that is easy to propagate and can be quickly multiplied, thus maintaining the desirable characteristics of the mother trees. However, the low genetic variability found in citrus groves favors the appearance of pests and diseases that affect the crop. The classical breeding programs have helped in the development of new citrus varieties, but the narrow genetic base and long period of juvenility of citrus difficult the implementation of an agile program that offers fast solutions to the emerging problems.

In this context, biotechnology emerges as a strategy to understand host–pest–pathogen interactions, in addition to the development of new technologies, which can help, for instance, to obtain genetically modified trees. The use of genetic engineering and tissue culture to obtain new varieties allows the development of more resistant plant materials with the same productivity potential, and the sensorial and nutritional characteristics of the fruits.

In recent years, scientific advances have allowed the development of a new generation of citrus breeding tools, named innovative precision improvement techniques (TIMP), or new breeding technologies, which are performed in a targeted and non-random manner. Some of these techniques induce specific mutations that are remarkably similar to conventional breeding products. For this reason, plants genetically edited by TIMPs are not necessarily considered GMOs. Technologies for generation of modified plants through genome editing, oligo-directed mutagenesis, site-directed nucleases, and epigenetic modification can be alternatives to making citrus genetic material resistant to the pathogen/pest of interest, and that enable a more sustainable citrus industry with less environmental impact.

The goal of this Special Issue on “Citrus Biotechnology” is to present a current overview of recent and significant research using potential new tools and advanced technologies for the maintenance and growth of the world citrus industry.

Dr. Viviani Vieira Marques
Prof. Dr. Sergio Ruffo Roberto
Guest Editors

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• molecular biology
• breeding
• plant transformation
• tissue culture
• new breeding technologies
• CRISPR
• siRNA