3,000 wheat lines enter field trials

January 08, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan has significantly accelerated its wheat improvement programme by advancing nearly 3,000 newly developed wheat lines into field evaluation.

The wheat lines, developed since 2022, are the outcome of controlled-environment speed breeding techniques that dramatically shorten the early stages of crop development.

According to Dr Zahid Mahmood, Program Leader of the Wheat Programme at NARC, the facility enables scientists to compress breeding timelines that traditionally span over a decade, as reported by APP.

Under conventional open-field breeding, wheat variety development typically requires 12 to 15 years, as multiple generations must be completed under natural conditions.

With speed breeding, however, a single generation can be completed in roughly two months, allowing the development cycle to be reduced to about seven to eight years.

The purpose-built centre at NARC is Pakistan’s first dedicated wheat speed breeding facility and the first of its kind in South Asia.

Drawing inspiration from controlled-environment systems used in space science, the facility replaces years of field-based generation advancement with precise regulation of light, temperature and growth conditions.

As a result, seven to eight generations normally requiring up to eight years can now be completed in just over a year.

Following initial development, the wheat lines are now undergoing field evaluation.

After approximately two years of performance assessment, the most promising lines will be entered into national trials, a mandatory process before the commercial release of new wheat varieties.

The initiative has already delivered measurable results, with thousands of wheat lines produced in a fraction of the time required by traditional methods.

Beyond crop development, the centre has also emerged as a regional hub for scientific training and collaboration.

Pakistan has trained between 250 and 300 scientists and postgraduate researchers from both domestic and international institutions, positioning itself as a regional leader in speed breeding.

The programme has extended cooperation to Central Asian countries and has played a role in establishing Kazakhstan’s first speed breeding facility.

The underlying technology was originally developed in 2018 by the University of Queensland in Australia, where Dr Zahid was first exposed to the concept during his doctoral research.

Pakistan later adapted and localised the system with technical assistance from Australian experts.

In addition to controlled-environment breeding, the programme integrates advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, drones and multispectral sensors to enhance crop evaluation.

These tools enable rapid, high-precision assessment of breeding material, reducing evaluation time while improving data accuracy.

The speed breeding centre also functions as a research and training platform for MPhil and PhD scholars, contributing to the strengthening of Pakistan’s scientific and human capital.

Developed under a government-funded Public Sector Development Programme, the facility is a key component of broader efforts to modernise wheat research and improve food security in the country.

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