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Opportunities and challenges of speed breeding: A review
Author(s) -
Wanga Maliata Athon,
Shimelis Hussein,
Mashilo Jacob,
Laing Mark D.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plant breeding
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.583
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1439-0523
pISSN - 0179-9541
DOI - 10.1111/pbr.12909
Subject(s) - cultivar , biology , breeding program , commercialization , selection (genetic algorithm) , microbiology and biotechnology , plant breeding , selective breeding , genetic resources , genetic gain , key (lock) , agronomy , business , computer science , genetic variation , marketing , ecology , biochemistry , artificial intelligence , gene
Breeding new and high performing cultivars with market‐preferred traits take more than 10 years in the absence of an integrated pre‐breeding programme. During the early phases of breeding a significant amount of time, space and resources are invested in the selection and genetic advancement stages after initial crosses are performed with parental genotypes. Speed breeding has the potential to reduce the time required for cultivar development, release and commercialization. The objective of this review was to present the key opportunities and challenges of speed breeding to guide pre‐breeding and breeding programmes. Key challenges of speed breeding include: (a) access to suitable facilities, (c) staff trained in the protocol, (b) adopting major changes to breeding programme design and operations, and (d) the need for long‐term funding. The current review highlights the potential advantages of speed breeding for the successful development and release of pure line cultivars in self‐pollinated crops in ~5 years versus 8 to 10 years when using traditional methods.