One of the most revolutionary developments in agriculture science is the progression of plant breeding from its traditional roots to the sophisticated, technologically advanced methods of 21st century. From the early days of mass selection and hybrid breeding to the impact of green revolution and the current era of molecular genetics, genomic selection and gene editing, this chapter explores the turning points and breakthroughs that have changed the landscape of plant breeding. Crop improvement has accelerated since the advent of biotechnology, especially genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and CRISPR-based precision breeding, which allows breeders to address complex challenges such as disease resistance, abiotic stress and nutritional enhancement. Alongside these advances, bioinformatics, digital tools and big data have introduced a new precision and predictive power in breeding programs, while remote sensing, nanotechnology and AI applications offer unprecedented insights into crop performance and adaptability. Despite these achievements, plant breeding faces critical challenges, including regulatory and ethical concerns, environmental impacts and public acceptance and need for equitable access to genetic resources. As the global agriculture confronts the demands of climate change, food security and sustainability, the future of plant breeding lies in integrating traditional knowledge with modern genetic tools, fostering resilience and prioritizing agroecological approaches. This chapter offers a thorough summary of the developments, examines both current and emerging technologies and reflects the development of sustainable global food systems in the future.
Genome editing has appeared as a transformative tool in plant breeding, offering an extraordinary exactness and competence for crop improvement. Technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9, TALENs and ZFNs empower beleaguered alterations of plant genomes, enabling the expansion of crops with improved traits, including higher yield, improved nutritional quality, disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Unlike conventional breeding methods, genome editing permits accurate modification of specific genes, meaningfully plummeting the time and resources necessitated for trait improvement. In recent years, CRISPR-Cas9 has gained eminence owing to its straightforwardness, cost-effectiveness and flexibility across different plant species. Applications array from improving agronomic traits and battling universal food diffidence to reducing environmental influence by improving crop resilience. Despite its potential, contests for instance off-target effects, regulatory complexities and public acceptance endure. This book chapter highlights the potential of genome editing to transform plant breeding, addressing worldwide challenges in agriculture while accenting the necessity for accountable revolution and public rendezvous. By integrating genome editing with advanced biotechnological tools, plant breeders are poised to generate maintainable solutions for future food security and environmental pliability.
Concerns regarding global food security have escalated significantly owing to the climate changes, diminishing agricultural land, growing population and the increasing demand of natural resources. Plant growth and productivity, along with the quality of crops around the sphere, are disapprovingly wedged by abiotic factors including drought, flooding, heat, salinity, nutrient deficiency, ozone, heavy metals and UV radiation etc. Speed breeding (SB) technique represents a pioneer tactic to reduce the breeding cycle and enhance crop development. By adjusting critical elements for growth and development of plants for instance photoperiod, light quality and intensity, temperature, relative humidity, plant nutrition and planting density, this method efficiently inspires flowering and seed production in controlled environments. SB is utilized in gene mapping, genetic engineering and the combination of traits, which improves crop resilience by utilizing allelic diversity. The combination of speed breeding with gene editing, genotyping and genomic selection offers significant potential. Nevertheless, SB encounters challenges associated with infrastructure, variations in genotypes and possible stress reactions. To sum up, SB represents a strong and hopeful strategy for tackling issues related to food security and improving crop genetics.
Mutation, a heritable alteration in genetic material, dramas a crucial part in generating genetic variability indispensable for evolution and crop enhancement. This chapter sightsees the principles, techniques and significance of mutation breeding in agriculture, accenting its importance in addressing worldwide food security challenges. Mutation breeding, involving the thoughtful induction of mutations through physical, chemical or biological mutagens, is a keystone of modern crop improvement programmes. It enables an advancement of superior plant cultivars with amended traits, including higher yield, disease resistance and stress tolerance. The chapter dashes the history of mutation breeding, highlighting landmark discoveries and the evolution of techniques, from early physical mutagens viz., X-rays and gamma rays to advanced molecular tools for instance CRISPR-Cas9. The distinction between spontaneous and induced mutations is expounded, along with the mechanisms and applications of site-directed and insertion mutagenesis. It includes the comparative benefits of chemical, physical and biological mutagens, their respective mechanisms of action and advancements in molecular genetics that have revolutionized mutation breeding. Achievements of mutation breeding are underscored by the successful development of over 2,000 mutant crop varieties worldwide, contributing significantly to agricultural productivity and sustainability. Mutation breeding's role in generating climate-resilient crops, improving nutritional quality and addressing environmental challenges is also explored. As a cost-effective and efficient tool, mutation breeding remains integral to the creation of innovative crop cultivars and the pursuit of international food security. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the future potential of integrating mutation breeding with cutting-edge genomic technologies to address emerging agricultural challenges.
Plant breeding is crucial for addressing global challenges like food security, climate change resilience, and sustainable agriculture. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques has revolutionized traditional breeding methods, enabling the development of improved crop varieties. AI and ML algorithms are used for tasks such as genotype-phenotype prediction, genomic selection, trait discovery, and optimization of breeding schemes. These technologies help identify genetic markers associated with desirable traits, enabling breeders to select plants with desired characteristics more efficiently. AI-driven models can predict the performance of novel genotypes under different environmental conditions, aiding in the development of resilient and high-yielding crop varieties. AI-powered tools can optimize breeding strategies by simulating breeding outcomes, reducing time and resource constraints. However, challenges such as data quality, model interpretability, and ethical considerations need to be addressed. Additionally, the accessibility of advanced computational resources and expertise remains a barrier for many breeders, especially in developing countries. The future of AI and ML in plant breeding holds great promise, with continued advancements in computational biology, genomics, and data analytics. Collaboration between breeders, data scientists, and biotechnologists is essential for leveraging AI and ML technologies to their full potential in addressing global agricultural challenges.
Marker-assisted selection (MAS) has become a cornerstone in modern crop breeding, significantly boosting precision in selecting traits that improve crop resilience, productivity, and adaptability to environmental stresses. Its integration has shortened breeding cycles and improved breeding efficiency, making it possible to address urgent agricultural challenges, such as climate change and food security, more effectively. Through MAS, crops are bred not only for immediate gains but also for sustainable performance, supporting long-term agricultural advancement.
Biofortification is a sustainable strategy to enhance the nutrient content of staple crops, addressing the global issue of micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in low-income and rural populations. This approach improves the nutritional quality of crops through traditional breeding and modern biotechnological methods, ensuring that essential vitamins and minerals are present in the edible parts of the plants. Biofortified crops, such as provitamin A-rich orange sweet potato, iron-enriched beans, and zinc-fortified rice, have already demonstrated success in improving public health. Future advancements in genome editing, marker-assisted selection, and the integration of biofortified traits into food processing hold promise for further enhancing nutritional security. The widespread adoption of biofortified crops can help alleviate malnutrition, particularly in vulnerable populations, by integrating nutrition into agricultural practices and improving public health outcomes globally.
Medicinal plants have been used for thousands of years for their health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancerous effects. They help to prevent health issues and diseases like cardiovascular disorders, gastrointestinal conditions, and cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of the global population relies on traditional medicine as their primary form of healthcare. These plants contain bioactive compounds like polyphenols and flavonoids, which help prevent chronic diseases. However, breeding medicinal plants is challenging because it requires balancing yield, active compound levels, and plant strength. Breeding techniques like mutation breeding, polyploidy induction, and molecular marker-assisted selection have shown success in improving plant traits. New genomic tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9 and transcriptomic analyses, help identify important genes related to beneficial compounds. Despite challenges, the future will be promising with biotechnological advances combined with traditional methods, creating opportunities for developing plants with enhanced medicinal properties. Continued research and sustainable methods are essential for unlocking the full potential of medicinal plants to improve global health.
ISBN : 978-81-976294-6-4
