CRISPR-Cas9 no setor florestal: uma abordagem cienciométrica

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas9 is a genetic editing technique that works like a pair of scissors, adding new information to the DNA after “cutting” it into a small, previously programmed part. This technological innovation brings great potential for the genetic improvement of plants, as it has a low cost and is simple to implement, when compared to other biotechnological techniques. Therefore, this work aimed to carry out a scientometric survey of research on CRISPR-Cas9 applied in the forest sector. Using the bibliometric method, the term “CRISPR-Cas9” combined with the following words was searched in the Web of Science and Scopus databases: "plant breeding", "tree", "forestry", "tree breeding"; “forest”. The articles obtained were analyzed on bibliometrix, generating data for scientometric analysis. A huge growth in the number of publications on the topic was observed, as of 2014. It was also found that 10 journals form the core of publications on the topic, according to Bradford's Law; and that the main publishers are: International Journal of Molecular Science, Frontiers in Plant Science and Plant Biotechnology Journal. The magazines with the greatest impact were: Plant Biotechnology Journal and Nature Communications. The most prominent authors were: Zhang Y, with 24 articles published, Li Y, with 19, Wang Y, with 17, Wang X, with 15 and Liu Y, with 11. In the analysis of Lotka's Law, we could see that 79 .3% of authors wrote only 1 article each on this topic, while few authors had a high number of publications. The survey also provided the researchers' affiliations. The University of California, South China Agricultural University, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences are standind out with a high number of publications. The theme is being researched mainly in institutions in the United States and Asia, with research being carried out in Brazil. The words (Keywords Plus): "gene editing", "genetics", "plant breeding", "article" and "nonhuman" were the most cited in the articles, as for the keywords of the authors of the articles: tomato, potato, rice , Populus and Bombyx mori L., presented high frequency. Research involving CRISPR-Cas9 in forestry production is still in its beginning, noting that species of the genus Populus stood out in several studies, however it is possible to observe a considerable advance for agricultural crops, such as rice, tomatoes and potatoes. Forest species are still in the initial stages of using this technique, but they have great potential for improvement in clones and hybrids of species of commercial interest.