EMPOWERING PLANT BREEDING
With the global population projected to surpass 10 billion by 2050, ensuring food security is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Climate change, soil degradation, and diminishing arable land threaten agricultural productivity, making the role of plant breeding more critical than ever. Plant breeding is the foundation of sustainable agriculture, improving crop yields, enhancing resistance to diseases and pests, and ensuring adaptability to changing climatic conditions. Governments and policymakers must recognize that strengthening plant breeding research and development (R&D) is no longer optional but an absolute necessity. Additionally, the integration of cutting-edge technologies, including Quantum AI, computer vision technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics, is essential for revolutionizing agriculture and combating the future challenges posed by climate change.
Oat for human consumption under process (MRCFC-Khudwani, SKUAST-Kashmir)
Enhancing Crop Yields to Feed a Growing Population
The demand for food is expected to increase by 70% by 2050, requiring significant improvements in agricultural productivity. Conventional breeding, hybridization, and modern genetic technologies like CRISPR and gene editing have already demonstrated their ability to boost crop yields. For example:
- The introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties during the Green Revolution saved millions from starvation.
- Hybrid maize and stress-tolerant rice varieties have drastically improved grain production in developing countries.
However, yield stagnation is now a major concern. Many staple crops have reached their genetic potential under traditional breeding methods, requiring biotechnological advancements and increased funding in genomic-assisted breeding to break this yield plateau. The application of Quantum AI in genomic prediction and breeding can accelerate genetic gains by identifying superior traits with unprecedented precision. AI-driven models can analyze vast datasets from breeding programs, optimizing the selection of high-performing genotypes.
Developing Climate-Resilient Crops
Climate change is already causing erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and increasing temperatures, leading to severe crop failures worldwide. Traditional crops struggle to withstand these conditions, making it imperative to develop drought-tolerant, heat-resistant, and flood-resilient crop varieties. Recent breakthroughs include:
- Drought-tolerant maize (DTM), developed through advanced breeding techniques, has improved food security in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Salt-tolerant rice varieties have enabled farmers in coastal regions to continue rice production despite rising sea levels.
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir has already played a crucial role in the development of high-yielding and stress-tolerant varieties of major cereal crops such as rice, mustard, wheat, beans, and maize. However, with the increasing impact of climate change, we must now think outside the box and accelerate efforts to develop climate-resilient food crops. The integration of robotics and AI-driven automation in phenotyping allows for precise screening of climate-resilient traits, reducing breeding cycles and ensuring faster development of superior varieties.
Strengthening Resistance to Pests and Diseases
Crop diseases and pests destroy approximately 40% of global agricultural production annually, causing billions of dollars in losses. The increasing resistance of pests to chemical pesticides has made genetic resistance through plant breeding the most sustainable solution. AI-powered pest detection using computer vision can provide real-time monitoring of crop health, enabling early intervention and reducing dependence on chemical pesticides. Governments must scale up investment in research institutions working on disease-resistant crops and encourage public-private collaborations to fast-track development and deployment.
Improving Nutritional Quality to Combat Malnutrition
Plant breeding is not just about increasing yields; it also plays a crucial role in addressing hidden hunger and malnutrition. Biofortified crops are enriched with essential vitamins and minerals, helping to alleviate nutrient deficiencies in vulnerable populations. Success stories include:
- Golden rice, engineered to contain vitamin A, combats vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of blindness in children.
- Iron-rich beans and zinc-enhanced wheat varieties contribute to reducing anemia and stunted growth in developing nations.
The combination of AI-driven molecular breeding and Quantum AI can enhance biofortification efforts by identifying genetic variations responsible for improved nutrient profiles. Policymakers must integrate biofortification programs into national nutrition strategies and ensure widespread adoption of nutrient-dense crops.
The Urgent Need for Government Support and Policy Reforms
Despite the proven benefits of plant breeding and emerging technologies, investment in this field remains inadequate. Governments and policymakers must take immediate action by:
- Increasing Funding for Agricultural Research: Governments should allocate at least 2-3% of their GDP to agricultural R&D, with a significant portion dedicated to plant breeding programs.
- Establishing national breeding centers and strengthening existing research institutions like SKUAST-K will accelerate the development of improved crop varieties.
- Providing grants, incentives, and subsidies to universities and private sector players engaged in breeding research.
Implementing Supportive Policies
- Creating long-term agricultural policies that prioritize plant breeding and advanced technologies as national strategic sectors.
- Ensuring fast-track approval of new crop varieties, reducing bureaucratic delays that slow down innovation.
- Strengthening intellectual property rights (IPR) for plant breeders and technology developers to encourage investment in new genetic technologies.
- Encouraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).
- Governments should collaborate with biotech companies, AI research labs, and agritech startups to drive innovation.
- Establishing technology-sharing platforms where private firms can contribute expertise and resources to national breeding programs.
- Harnessing AI, Quantum Computing, and Robotics in Agriculture.
- AI-powered crop monitoring and phenotyping can accelerate breeding programs and improve decision-making for plant breeders.
- Quantum computing can optimize breeding strategies by analyzing complex genetic interactions, leading to faster identification of superior traits.
- Robotics can automate labor-intensive tasks such as seed selection, transplanting, and disease detection, reducing human error and increasing efficiency.
- Promoting Farmers’ Access to Improved Seeds and Technologies.
- Subsidizing certified seeds for smallholder farmers to ensure accessibility and affordability.
- Implementing extension programs to train farmers on the benefits and adoption of improved crop varieties and precision farming technologies.
- Creating seed banks and gene repositories to preserve genetic diversity and ensure long-term sustainability.
A Call to Action
Food security is the cornerstone of national stability and economic prosperity. Without urgent and substantial investment in plant breeding and advanced agricultural technologies, global agricultural productivity will not be able to sustain the projected population growth. Governments must acknowledge that plant breeding is not just an agricultural issue but a matter of national security, public health, and economic stability. Policymakers, research institutions, and industry leaders must collaborate to strengthen breeding programs, ensure financial support, and create policies that accelerate innovation.
The adoption of AI, Quantum AI, robotics, and computer vision technology must be integrated into national agricultural strategies to revolutionize crop breeding and precision farming. Failing to act now will have catastrophic consequences, pushing millions into hunger and poverty by 2050.The time for action is now. Plant breeding and cutting-edge technology must become national priorities, backed by robust funding, policy reforms, and visionary leadership. Institutions like SKUAST-K are leading the way in agricultural research, but without greater government support and strategic policymaking, the potential for innovation in plant breeding may remain unrealized. Only through immediate action can we secure a sustainable and food-secure future for the generations to come.
(The Author is Scientist- MRCFC-Khudwani SKUAST-KASHMIR, Visiting Scientist at University of Nebraska Lincon, USA. EMAIL ID; [email protected] and [email protected])
