Improving genetic gain through digitalization and speed breeding in crop plants: An overview

The food supply needs to be enhanced commensurate with the population growth, consumer needs and purchasing power. The agricultural production system is challenged by extreme events under climate change. In order to sustain the production, productivity and quality of the produce,adversely affected by many biotic and abiotic stresses,constant crop improvement efforts are required. Though the traditional methods of plant breeding have played significantly role,advances made in genomics and phenomics are revolutionizing crop improvement programmes. In this era of digitization, noninvasive sensor-based data acquisition and analysis is gaining importance in high throughput plant phenotyping. Concomitant advances in genomics have provided a strong base for modern plant breeding programmes.The IoT devices employed for monitoring crop performance, remote sensing tools, high-resolution image deviceshave empoweredoverall crop performance assessment. The advances in sensor technology and automation have led to development of phenomics platforms for both field and controlled conditions. The non-invasive data acquisition and analysis aids in high throughput phenotyping.Technological advances are transforming plant breeding and allowing more efficient and precise selection of desirable traits. Genomics and Next Generation Sequencing are providing unprecedented insights into the genetic makeup.Marker Assisted Selection is accelerating breeding process and development of improved cultivars. Genomic Selection facilitates the identification of elite breeding lines with high genetic merit, leading to more efficient and targeted crop improvement. All these advances made in digital technologies have empowered breeders to unlock the full potential of crop improvement programs and address the food production challenges.