Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology

Plant breeding methods are used for crop improvement with the aim of enhancing crop yields and resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Conventional breeding methods alone are insufficient to fulfil global food demand. However, climate change, population growth, and increasing scarcity of agricultural resources have created an urgent need for faster, more effective crop improvement strategies. Conventional breeding remains essential, but its reliance on repeated crossing, selection, and field evaluation can make the development of new crop varieties a lengthy process. Precision breeding and speed breeding offer complementary ways to address these limitations. Precision breeding uses molecular markers, genomic information, and genome-editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas to identify, select, or modify genetic variation associated with desirable traits. Speed breeding accelerates the development of successive generations by optimising growing conditions, including light, temperature, and photoperiod. When combined, these approaches can help breeders introduce useful traits, advance breeding populations, and evaluate promising lines more efficiently. Their applications in crops such as rice, wheat, and maize demonstrate their potential to improve disease resistance, stress tolerance, yield stability, and nutritional quality. Nevertheless, challenges related to infrastructure costs, genetic complexity, regulatory requirements, and field validation remain important considerations. This review examines the principles, applications, advantages, and limitations of precision and speed breeding, with particular emphasis on their integration into modern crop improvement programmes. It also discusses emerging technologies and future research priorities for developing productive, resilient, and resource-efficient crop varieties.