Plant Breeding & Genetics

Genetic improvement of crops, from classical breeding to genomics.

Plant breeding develops new crop varieties with higher yield, better quality, disease resistance or tolerance to environmental stress. It combines classical crossing and selection with quantitative genetics, which estimates how much of a trait's variation is heritable.

Modern breeding relies heavily on molecular tools: genetic mapping and marker-assisted selection, genome sequencing, genomic selection, tissue culture, and genetic modification or genome editing - the latter regulated very differently from country to country.

Studying plant breeding & genetics

Degree programs in this subject often run under these names:

What you typically learn

  • Genetics and quantitative genetics
  • Classical breeding methods and variety testing
  • Molecular markers, genomics and genomic selection
  • Plant biotechnology and genome editing
  • Seed production and seed law
  • Statistics and bioinformatics

Where graduates typically work

  • Seed and breeding companies
  • Variety testing and plant variety protection offices
  • Biotechnology and genomics laboratories
  • Public and international breeding programs
  • Gene banks and conservation of plant genetic resources

Curricula differ by country and institution - the program pages linked below have the details.

Where to study plant breeding & genetics

25 programs in 12 countries. See all 25 programs

Where research is heading

Typical research questions

  • Which genes and genomic regions control yield, quality and resistance traits?
  • How much faster can genomic selection deliver genetic gain than phenotypic selection?
  • How can genetic diversity from landraces and wild relatives be used in breeding?
  • What do new breeding techniques change in practice, and how are they regulated?

Publications per year

Papers whose main topic belongs to this field, 2010–2025.

0 12.5k 25k2010: 19,29220102011: 19,0412012: 20,1262013: 20,3312014: 20,6652015: 21,97320152016: 22,3732017: 22,9142018: 22,5142019: 22,6152020: 23,67520202021: 22,4832022: 22,1802023: 22,1872024: 21,6572025: 23,9762025

Research fronts: fastest-growing topics

Papers 2024–2025 compared with 2021–2022, topics with at least 500 recent papers.

Topic2021–20222024–2025Change
Agricultural Practices and Plant GeneticsOkra Genetics · Breeding · Genetic Variability · Antioxidant Properties2,0142,904+44%
Plant Gene Expression AnalysisFlavonoid Biosynthesis · Transcription Factors · MYB · WRKY3,2973,883+18%
Transgenic Plants and ApplicationsPlant Molecular Farming · Recombinant Proteins · Biopharmaceuticals · Vaccine Antigens1,8442,137+16%
Genetics and Plant BreedingCultivar Evaluation · Genotype-by-Environment Interaction · Biplot Analysis · Plant Breeding2,7822,938+6%
Genetically Modified Organisms ResearchGenetically Modified Crops · Biotechnology · Food Safety · Environmental Risk Assessment1,4821,555+5%
Plant Genetic and Mutation StudiesMutation Breeding · TILLING · Induced Mutations · Functional Genomics1,6961,742+3%

Largest topics

By number of papers 2024–2025.

  1. Plant Molecular Biology ResearchPlant · Development · MicroRNA · Auxin 7,356
  2. Plant tissue culture and regenerationPlant Secondary Metabolites · Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation · Elicitation · Somatic Embryogenesis 6,886
  3. Wheat and Barley Genetics and PathologyWheat · Genetics · Breeding · Disease Resistance 4,121
  4. Plant Gene Expression AnalysisFlavonoid Biosynthesis · Transcription Factors · MYB · WRKY 3,883
  5. Chromosomal and Genetic VariationsGenome Evolution · Polyploidy · Transposable Elements · Plant Speciation 3,625
  6. Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and AnimalsQuantitative Trait Loci · Genome-wide Association Studies · Genetic Mapping · Crop Improvement 3,296

Highly cited recent papers

Most-cited articles and reviews published 2024–2025. Citation counts favor reviews and papers published early in the window.

  1. Plant-Derived Natural Products: A Source for Drug Discovery and Development Noureddine Chaachouay, Lahcen Zidane · Drugs and Drug Candidates · 2024 · 1,041 citations · Open access
  2. High Efficiency In vitro Whole Plant Regeneration via Desiccated Callus in Oryza sativa cv. MTU1010 Anjana Priyadarshani Kanathala, Srinivas Naik Kethavath, Prashanth Bollempally et al. · International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) · 2024 · 407 citations · Open access
  3. The Role of Polyphenols in Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Their Antioxidant Properties to Scavenge Reactive Oxygen Species and Free Radicals Muhammad Junaid Rao, Bingsong Zheng · Antioxidants · 2025 · 334 citations · Open access
  4. A compendium of genetic regulatory effects across pig tissues Jinyan Teng, Yahui Gao, Hongwei Holly Yin et al. · Nature Genetics · 2024 · 297 citations · Open access
  5. Artificial intelligence in plant breeding Muhammad Amjad Farooq, Shang Gao, Muhammad Adeel Hassan et al. · Trends in Genetics · 2024 · 282 citations · Open access
  6. Plant organellar genomes: much done, much more to do Jie Wang, Shenglong Kan, Xuezhu Liao et al. · Trends in Plant Science · 2024 · 279 citations

All study programs in plant breeding & genetics

All study programs