Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Under Stress: A Multidisciplinary Review of Pathogens, Climate Adaptation, CRISPR Genome Editing, and High Throughput Phenotyping

Abstract

Sesame (Sesamum  indicum  L.) is one of the most important oilseeds crops of the world which is threatened by recurrent monsoon flooding and also by various biotic and abiotic stresses such as phytoplasmas of the phloem restricted group (phyllody disease). The present review brings together information on the sesame plant architecture, genome characteristics, nutraceutical value, epidemiology and molecular diagnosis of disease ‘phyllody’, physiological and abiotic stress responses, proposed CRISPR-Cas9 approaches for disease and stress tolerance, and high throughput phenotyping by sensor/UVAs for accelerated plant breeding. Despite its importance, the yield in Pakistan remains significantly lower than the international standards. The absence of a validated phyllody resistance gene, lack of combined stress and multi-omics studies, as well as limited utilization of wild germplasm, are discussed with recommendations to adopt a multi-omics tools to fill the yield gap of sesame production in Pakistan and similar smallholder systems.