Important Parameters of Speed Breeding

Important parameters of speed breeding : Speed breeding is tool for rapid plant generation. Speed breeding just not about artificial light or
modifying photoperiod.
Artificial light plays important role in speed breeding but to get desired results we have to focus on
other parameters also.
First let try to understand, what is the importance of grow lights in speed breeding.

1. Photoperiod (Day Length) Modification:
Normally in India we get max 8-10 hours of sunlight, but using grow lights we can give extra
hours of lights to the plants.
Plants as three types according to photoperiod – Shot day plants, long day plants and day
neutral plants.
In speed breeding if we increase the day length using grow lights then we can see the rapid
growth of plants. Long day plants like – Wheat, Mustard if we just increased the day length,
you can see the great results.

2. Light Quality
Light quality means in simple words we can say light spectrum. Light quality play’s vital role
in short day plants. In light quality timing is import factor, we have to expose plants to
certain wavelengths at certain time only. Ex. To make cotton plants disease resistance we
have expose plants to high IR percentage for few hours of day.
Light quality has important role in commercial of speed breeding.

3. Light Intensity (PPFD- μmol/m2/sec)
Light intensity mainly depends on DLI requirement of plant. To high intensity of unnecessary
lights (spectrum) leads to scorching and other issue in plant growth.
Uniform light intensity gives better results than fluctuating light intensity. Light intensity is
most important parameter in operating cost of speed breeding facility.

If grow lights are primary source for plants then intensity requirement is different than grow
light as secondary source.
Speed breeding at polyhouse is always recommended than indoor.

Apart from light following parameters are equally important for speed breeding.

4. Nutrient Management
We have to develop stress in plants. For developing stress nutrient management is
important. We have to create nutrient deficiency to develop stress in plants. Stress in plants
leads to rapid generation.

5. Co2 control
Co2 plays important role in photosynthesis. Many Carbon Dioxide enrichment studies shows
that positive effect on photosynthesis.
Kindly check below graphs for brief details,

6. Embryo rescue
Embryo rescue is an in vitro -culture technique that is used to save weak, immature and
hybrid or sometimes inviable embryos to prevents its degradation. This tool also plays in
important role in rapid plant generation.

7. Phenotype
Selection right phenotype also important for speed breeding, here we can use tools like
hyper spectral camera.

8. Genotype
Many tools, techniques and expertise are available in genotyping. Double haploid is one of
the tools which helps for rapid generation of homozygous lines and this is also important for
speed breeding.

As working on speed breeding since last 4 years, I understood that, we need to do lot of research to
make speed breeding viable for very plant.
We are at Nexsel, working closely on many plants especially on Indian tropical plants. If you want to
know more it lets connect on [email protected]
Thank you