Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, today inaugurated the newly established Speed Breeding for wheat and pulses, and Intelligent IoT-Based Smart Glasshouse facilities at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad, marking a significant milestone in Pakistan’s agricultural research and development landscape. The inauguration reflects a major advancement in the country’s efforts to modernize crop improvement systems and strengthen national food and nutritional security through science-driven innovation.
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 specialized 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 wheat Speed Breeding facility has been established at the Crop Sciences Institute, NARC, under the PSDP-funded Wheat Productivity Enhancement Project. Equipped with controlled glasshouse chambers, advanced LED grow lighting systems, and precise temperature and humidity controls, the facility is the first of its kind in the region. Since its establishment, more than 3,000 new wheat lines have been rapidly developed and are currently undergoing yield trials in the field. The facility has also served as a national and international hub for capacity building, with hundreds of scientists, breeders, and students trained in speed breeding techniques, while protocols have been scaled up for other important crops.
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.
Chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Dr. Syed Murtaza Hassan Andrabi, played a pivotal role in conceptualizing, guiding, and operationalizing these landmark initiatives. Under his strategic leadership, PARC prioritized the adoption of advanced breeding technologies and digital agriculture tools to modernize Pakistan’s agricultural research system. He emphasized that speed breeding and smart controlled-environment facilities are critical for achieving rapid genetic gains, improving crop resilience, and ensuring food and nutritional security in the face of climate change. Dr. Andrabi highlighted that these facilities reflect PARC’s vision of transforming NARC into a center of excellence for modern plant breeding, genomics, and climate-smart agriculture, while strengthening collaboration with national and international research institutions.
In his remarks, Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain stated that these initiatives directly align with national priorities on food and nutritional security, climate-resilient agriculture, and farmer income enhancement. He emphasized 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. He further noted that the establishment of such advanced facilities demonstrates Pakistan’s growing capacity in modern plant breeding and its commitment to adopting innovative research approaches.
The Minister also inaugurated the Intelligent IoT-Based Smart Glasshouse at NIGAB, a fully automated and integrated research facility designed to precisely control and optimize crop growth environments. The Smart Glasshouse, spread over 2,640 square feet, integrates IoT sensors, artificial intelligence, programmable control systems, and data analytics to support genome-assisted speed breeding, stress biology research, and advanced phenotyping. The facility is fully operational for major crops and enables real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making under controlled conditions. Recent achievements include screening of crop lines under heat stress, rapid advancement of wheat generations, successful cultivation under aquaponics systems, and acclimatization of gene-edited plants under controlled environments.
Speaking at the occasion, the Minister remarked that the Intelligent Smart Glasshouse represents a future-ready national asset that bridges genomics, digital agriculture, and sustainable food production. He highlighted that the integration of speed breeding, precision phenotyping, and automated environmental control provides a powerful platform for addressing emerging challenges related to climate change, resource efficiency, and sustainable agriculture. He appreciated the efforts of scientists and researchers involved in developing these facilities and reaffirmed the government’s support for scaling such initiatives, strengthening collaboration with national and international research organizations, and fostering public–private partnerships for sustainable varietal development.
The inauguration of these advanced research facilities at NARC reflects a transformative step toward data-driven, climate-smart, and resource-efficient agriculture. By significantly reducing breeding timelines and enhancing research precision, these initiatives reinforce Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its agricultural research system and ensuring long-term food and nutritional security for the country.
