Advancements in Plant Breeding: New Techniques and Future Directions

This review describes the advances in plant breeding-from traditional to state-of-the-art molecular methods emphasizing the role of innovation in MAS, QTL mapping, and genomic selection to bring about changes in a transformative manner through CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technologies. Such innovative approaches have impressively increased the rate of precision with which crop varieties are produced to possess desirable attributes for resistance to diseases, abiotic stress tolerance, and improved nutritional levels. The present pace of progress in crop improvement has been further accelerated by the integration of omics technologies, high-throughput phenotyping, and precision agriculture. However, this review also discusses some of the ongoing challenges with respect to ethical issues, intellectual property rights, and ecological effects. While emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and synthetic biology could probably underpin the future of plant breeding, this needs to be pursued with due consideration for ethical and socio-economic consequences to ensure global food security.