Accelerating climate resilient agriculture through the integration of molecular breeding with genome editing and omics approaches

Climate change poses a profound threat to global food security, particularly in vulnerable arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Conventional breeding remains insufficient for addressing complex polygenic traits like drought and heat tolerance, making molecular breeding crucial. This review synthesized the four-decade evolution of molecular breeding, tracing the transition from foundational RFLP markers to high-resolution DArTSeq platforms, CRISPR-based genome editing, and the emerging integration of multi-omics. A systematic analysis of 202 peer-reviewed articles (1986–2025) was conducted to evaluate the evolution of molecular markers and their application in MAS, QTL mapping, GWAS, genome editing, and omics to enhance the resilience of forage species and staple crops. The scope acknowledged English-language literature, targeting forage-cereal over pulse and tree species. The review concludes that while high costs and technical complexities remain as substantial barriers in resource-limited settings, the integration of multi-omics and high-throughput phenotyping offers a promising framework. These advancements bridge the genotype-to-phenotype gap, enabling the precise pyramid of stress-resilience and nutritional genes to accelerate the development of sustainable, climate-smart agriculture.