SPEED BREEDING AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL CROPS

Abstract

Current environmental changes and continued global population growth represent a significant concern for food security. The slow rate at which current plant breeding programs are progressing is partly attributed to the long generation time of plants during the breeding process. One solution to overcome this obstacle is the use of Speed breeding technology that shortens the generation time to accommodate multiple generations of crops per year and accelerates crop research. The term "Speed breeding" was coined by Australian researchers in 2003 and is inspired by NASA experiments performed on a space mission. In this context, this paper summarizes some of the technological aspects, opportunities and limitations associated with Speed breeding. The integration of Speed breeding with other modern breeding technologies can further reduce the breeding cycle time and make selection for some novel traits more effective. Speed breeding is an innovative and promising breeding technology to ensure food security, which accelerates the development and release of new crop varieties.