ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain on Friday inaugurated the country’s first speed breeding for wheat and pulses, and Intelligent IoT-Based Smart Glasshouse facilities. The facility has been established at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC). The minister said that these initiatives directly align with national priorities on food and nutritional security, climate-resilient agriculture, and farmer income enhancement. He said that accelerating breeding cycles in both cereals and pulses will strengthen domestic production, reduce pressure on imports, and ensure timely availability of improved varieties to farming communities. The minister said that the establishment of such advanced facilities demonstrates Pakistan’s growing capacity in modern plant breeding and its commitment to adopting innovative research approaches. A fully automated and integrated research facility designed to precisely control and optimize crop growth environments, he said. During the ceremony, the minister was briefed on the Speed Breeding technology, a cutting-edge approach originally inspired by space research concepts, which significantly shortens the plant breeding cycle by providing controlled environmental conditions. Through extended photoperiods of up to 22 hours using specialised LED lighting, along with optimized temperature and humidity, crop development is accelerated to an unprecedented level. Under this system, wheat can complete its life cycle within just 6 to 8 weeks, enabling the development of 5 to 6 generations in a single year. This approach effectively reduces the conventional 14-year varietal development timeline to nearly half, saving valuable time in delivering improved varieties to farmers. The minister also inaugurated Pakistan’s first dedicated Pulses Speed Breeding Facility, established under the PSDP Pulses Project. Pulses play a vital role in national food and nutritional security by providing affordable protein and contributing to soil health through biological nitrogen fixation. However, productivity gains in pulses have remained slow due to long breeding cycles and increasing climate and disease pressures. The newly established facility addresses these challenges by enabling four to six generations per year in major pulse crops such as chickpea, lentil, mung bean, and mash through controlled growth chambers, tunable LED lighting, and optimized environmental conditions. Significant progress has already been achieved, including the development of advanced chickpea breeding lines, enhancement of multiple segregating generations, and improved precision in phenotyping under uniform growth environments. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026