Bari, Vinay Kumar2024-01-162024-08-132024-01-162024-08-132023-08-1497988869789269798886977400https://doi.org/10.52305/RZCJ7386https://kr.cup.edu.in/handle/32116/2941Root-specific plant-parasitic weeds Phelipanche and Orobanche spp. (broomrape) induce potential damage to numerous crops and lead to heavy loss to the economy due to a reduction in total yield, especially in the Mediterranean, Europe, Africa and Asian countries. The lack of effective control measures restricts our capabilities to avoid newly developing and more virulent races of parasitic weeds, hence, innovative solutions are urgently needed to control these parasites. Significant research towards deciphering the plant genome and its functions have been made over the years, including the genome of the root parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca. Recent biotechnological advancements in genome manipulation such as silencing RNA molecules and T-DNA insertions have been significantly used for introducing resistance against several parasitic weeds. However, the available strategies to generate host resistance to the plant-parasitic weed need further advancement. Several different methods for the control of parasitic weeds (such as herbicide, and breeding resistant variety crops) have been adopted in attempts to reduce germination of Orobanche commonly known as broomrapes, but several difficulties arise in targeting specific plant-plants (host plant and parasitic plant) interaction systems. Moreover, most control strategies to manage parasitic weeds have considerable drawbacks and are less effective. Recently developed gene-editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 has been used in numerous crops to enhance desired plant phenotypes and the same technique can also be employed to target the essential key processes of host-parasite interactions, such as strigolactone (SL) biosynthesis, signalling, haustorium development, and penetration of the host cell wall. A major attempt has been made to edit host genes rather than parasite- specific genes using CRISPR/Cas9 since the germination of these parasites is itself induced by the host. In this chapter, we summarize and discuss the genome editing approach used to edit the host-specific genes which confer resistance to root-specific plant-parasitic weeds. � 2023 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.en-USBook chapter