Table 1.
Strategies to speed up the breeding process of crops.
| Strategies | Basics of methods | Generation per year | Limitations | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shuttle-breeding | Growing crop material in alternative suitable locations. | 2–3 | ⋄ Not reliable ⋄ High rate of loss of material ⋄ Reducing genetic variance |
Ortiz et al., 2007 |
| Double haploid (DH) | Facilitating the development of entirely homozygous lines in two generations. | 3–4 | ⋄ Genotype dependence ⋄ Requiring special skills and labor ⋄ High cost |
Germanà, 2011 |
| In vitro culture | Using nutritive culture media and controlled aseptic conditions for the growth of plant cells, tissues, organs, or immature embryos. | 12 | ⋄ Specific protocol for each species ⋄ High cost ⋄ Requiring specialized staff ⋄ Labor intensive |
Germanà, 2011 |
| Targeting induced local lesions in genomes | A reverse genetics approach for high-throughput discovery of induced mutations in the desired gene(s) from a mutant population developed through mutagenesis. | Not available | ⋄ High screening costs ⋄ Large insertions or deletions are difficult to detect ⋄ Rely on known genome ⋄ Dependence on random mutagenesis |
Mba, 2013; Chen et al., 2014 |
| Transgenesis or genetic editing | Transgenesis involves the introduction of foreign genes into an organism’s genome, while genetic editing allows for precise modifications to be made to the organism’s existing DNA sequence. | Not available | ⋄ Political and social issues ⋄ The lack of regulatory hurdle ⋄ Specific protocol for each species ⋄ Genotype dependence and requiring specialized staff |
Zhan et al., 2021 |
| Single seed descent (SSD) | Sampling one seed of each plant in a segregating population and continue this process until the desired level of inbreeding has been achieved. | Not available | ⋄ More inferior progenies ⋄ Risks of losing desirable genes ⋄ Requiring appropriate facilities |
Kigoni et al., 2023 |
| Speed breeding (SB) | Using optimal day length, light intensity, light quality, and temperature to stimulate flowering and seed production. | 4–6 | ⋄ Genotype dependence ⋄ High establishment cost ⋄ High energy consumption |
Watson et al., 2018 |