T. Vijay, H. Akshata, M.R. Madhusudhan, B. Srikanth, R. Jayasankaramoorthy Speed breeding, haplod, technology, crop, improvement 123-127 2 (5) September, 2026 Developing a new crop variety through conventional breeding takes time. Breeders often need four to six generations of self-pollination to obtain genetically stable, highly homozygous lines, with each generation potentially requiring a full growing season. When multi-location testing is added, the journey from an initial cross to a farmer-ready variety can extend to a decade or more. With climate change bringing new pest pressures, heat stress and unpredictable rainfall, such long timelines are increasingly difficult to justify. Speed breeding (SB) and doubled haploid (DH) technology offer two complementary ways to shorten this journey and are changing the pace at which new crop varieties can be developed.