2 January 2026

National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) has launched advanced Speed Breeding facilities for wheat and pulses, along with an Intelligent IoT-Based Smart Glasshouse, inaugurated by Rana Tanveer Hussain. The Speed Breeding technology significantly accelerates crop development by using controlled environments with extended photoperiods, optimized temperature, and humidity, enabling wheat to complete its life cycle in just 6–8 weeks and allowing up to six generations per year. This innovation reduces the traditional varietal development timeline by nearly half. More than 3,000 new wheat lines have already been developed, while Pakistan’s first dedicated Pulses Speed Breeding Facility is advancing rapid improvement in chickpea, lentil, mung bean, and mash to strengthen food and nutritional security.

Additionally, the Minister inaugurated the Intelligent IoT-Based Smart Glasshouse at NIGAB, an automated research facility integrating IoT sensors, artificial intelligence, and data analytics to support genome-assisted breeding, stress research, and precision phenotyping. Under the leadership of Dr. Syed Murtaza Hassan Andrabi and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), these initiatives aim to modernize Pakistan’s agricultural research system, enhance climate resilience, reduce import dependence, and ensure sustainable, data-driven crop improvement to secure long-term national food security.

Original Link:

https://mnfsr.gov.pk/NewsDetail/ZWU3M2YzNzEtNGE1Yi00NmQyLThkM2MtZWRhMDBkYTIwZW Yx