How can gene editing create drought-resistant crops?

the challenge is not how, the challenge is who will pay for all the royalty on the 400 odd patents that cover the steps of making a GE plant for commercialization I would use it as a POC and look for Eco-TILLING of the target

The challenge of cost exists with all new technology and techniques. The experience so far is that commercial competition and product value constrain what the supply chain will pay. The facts are that we have fed an additional 5Billion people since 1960. According to the UN this has saved an area half the size of Africa from the plough. Around 67% of this can be directly attributed to plant breeding, most of which has come from private breeding investment. The alternative is to pay through your taxes in advance with an unknown outcome. With private breeding investing using "at risk" capital, the supply chain only pays if the new variety delivers economic benefits.

Gene editing cannot created drought resistant crops, simply because the approach is wrong. There are already such varieties across the world. But then with low soil health, thinner soils, a techno-fix is always a failure. Cropping is a multi-factorial activity and cannot be limited to change in some gene inside a plant, and claim it can resist weather, under-nutrition, low water and other conditions.

Different types of genes (related to salinity and drought) dilation and introduction can increase the stress tolerance capacity of plants. Newly inserted genes increase the expression of stress proteins and antioxidant enzymes.

Climate change has led to significant reduction of crop yields in many agricultural environments across the globe. Important crops like corn and rice are well affected by this condition. Without the traits to confer tolerance under drought conditions, yield loss can impact many farmers. Having drought tolerant varieties, farmer can expect their plants to thrive even conditions are water limited or lack of rainfall. Under condition like El Niño, where rainfall is significantly low, drought tolerant varieties can performed better and yield can be conserved.

In the Philippines, there are rice varieties introduced to survive under drought stress conditions. Rainfed rice environments in the country approximately covers around 15% of the total 2.8 mio hectares of rice crop areas. And these rainfed environments are known to have a very low productivity profile and poor yield attainment rate. There are varieties developed under rainfed environment and upland conditions like PSB Rc80 (Pasig), PSB Rc9 (Apo), and NSIC Rc23 (Katihan 1). Moreover, there are now genetic efforts to improve these varieties for climate change resiliency and hoping for new varieties with improved yield and with better disease resistance will soon be available for farmers.