A case for breeding heat-tolerant broccoli

Poor farming and human nutrition cost lives and $10 trillion/yr. Broccoli is rich in phytochemicals implicated in reduced morbidity, but maladapted to the tropics and subtropics, where human illness is severe. Here we review advances in biology and breeding to propose a blueprint for a global broccoli breeding program— designed to improve adaptation to high heat environments, harness its current health benefits, and reduce impacts of long carbon-intensive supply chains.