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Apr. 20, 2026 by Laurie Bedord, Farm Progress The next frontier in plant breeding isn't just about science; it's about imagination. After decades of breakthroughs in hybrids and biotech traits, researchers are once again pushing the boundaries of what's possible. But as new technologies emerge, from gene editing to data-driven design, progress will depend not only on innovation, but also on public acceptance and the ability to put those tools to work in the field. As a young scientist, Geoff Graham once had the chance to meet Norman Borlaug, whose agronomic work spurred extensive production increases called the Green Revolution. While walking him to his next stop, Borlaug told Graham that he had a responsibility to advocate for biotechnology because there would be plenty of people who didn't want it to succeed. "At the time I thought, how could anyone not see its value?" Graham recalled. "But he was right. We have been limited in how we can use the technology." Now leading Corteva Agriscience global breeding programs, Graham believes the future of plant breeding will require every tool available and a shared understanding of why each matters. "Each of us has a role to play so we can help farmers face what's coming," he said. "A changing planet necessitates new solutions, and we must advocate for them." With that mindset, researchers are exploring the next wave of advances that will shape how crops are bred, protected and managed. Gene editing In the last 20 years, there has been a fundamental shift in application of new methods in plant breeding. Technologies like doubled haploids, predictive analytics and precision phenotyping have allowed products to be made faster and with more precision than ever before. In modern breeding, these technologies impact 100% of Corteva's breeding projects. But a new transformative tool is already on the rise: gene editing. Graham said combining gene editing with these now-baseline tools will offer a new frontier in product development. One of the most promising uses is in disease resistance. "In the past, we've added herbicide and insect resistance into the bag through biotechnology," Graham said. "We're entering a phase where we're adding disease resistance with gene editing. That's a scale and a speed we've never reached before, and it changes how we continue to deliver value to the grower." In the next couple of years, he expects gene-editing's benefits, especially for disease protection, to take center stage. By 2030, disease-resistant corn hybrids could become standard on farms. "Fungicides will still play a role, but more of that protection will be built right into the seed itself, offering a more sustainable and efficient approach," Graham said. Dave Bubeck, research director and global breeding alliances lead at Corteva, sees genome editing as the key to unlocking tougher agronomic traits like drought resistance. In the past, progress often came one gene at a time. Genome editing lets breeders work with dozens of genes at once, turning a crop that struggles under drought into one that can still perform. That, Bubeck said, is the real promise of genome editing: amplifying genes of small effects into genes of larger and more meaningful improvements for farmers. Cyber agriculture If gene editing represents the biological side of the next revolution, cyber agriculture is the digital one. It brings together agriculture, data science, robotics and artificial intelligence to accelerate the pace of plant and crop improvement. At Iowa State University, researchers Asheesh Singh and Soumik Sarkar, who also are Soynomics members, are leading the charge on this concept. Their goal: turn plant breeding and crop production from a slow, hands-on process into one that's fast, data-driven and highly automated. To read the entire article click here. Tweet |
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