Generation time is the principal bottleneck constraining genetic gain in plant breeding. Speed breeding (SB) addresses this by simultaneously managing the photoperiod, light spectrum and intensity, temperature, CO₂ concentration, mineral nutrition, growing substrate volume, and post-harvest seed dormancy, enabling four to seven generations per year in long-day cereals and legumes, and four to five generations in optimised short-day systems. This review evaluates SB against the conventional pedigree framework; synthesises validated environmental parameters and crop-specific protocols; and examines principal SB applications in hybridisation, genomic selection, disease-resistance screening, and allele introgression. A structured comparison of major review and protocol papers identifies broad consensus on core parameters alongside genuine divergence on far-red light supplementation. Critical evaluation addresses genotype-by-environment interaction, incomplete trait coverage, infrastructure costs, and unresolved questions on the biological integrity of rapidly advanced generations. The review further discusses new genomic techniques (NGTs), particularly CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing, in the context of the EU’s June 2026 NGT regulation, under which Category 1 plants carrying only targeted endogenous modifications are exempt from GMO authorisation. When combined with SB, this regulatory shift can compress the interval from gene-editing event to registered variety from decades to a few years. Speed breeding, NGTs, and conventional field-based selection are most productively treated as complementary elements of a unified pipeline.

Climate change presents interconnected challenges to global agriculture, particularly within vulnerable regions, such as the Pannonian Biogeographical Area (PBA), which experiences extreme weather events. Traditional reductionist approaches have proven insufficient against complex issues such as increasing droughts, high temperatures, floods, and new pests and diseases. This review proposes and validates innovative systemic solutions to enhance climate resilience across identified critical key agricultural sectors: crop production, agroforestry, the water-food nexus, and cattle production. Utilizing a consistent model, four deep demonstration sites will be established in two sectors (Serbia and Hungary) to develop and test the proposed solutions. Multi-environment trials replicated across eight additional diverse European environments will provide a robust validation of performance under varied conditions, mimicking real-world agricultural complexities across Serbia, Croatia, Romania, and Czechia. This holistic, systems-thinking approach aims to create comprehensive strategies that build climate resilience, secure agricultural production, foster long-term sustainability within the PBA, and serve as a blueprint for broader European implementation.

An important goal of maize breeders has been to enhance the stability of maize performance when exposed to different kinds of abiotic stresses. The objective of this study was to evaluate genotype response for reduced anthesis-silking interval (ASI) across nine locations in Romania, Hungary, Croatia, and Serbia under drought and favorable conditions, while eight environments were exposed to heat and drought stress. Field experiments with a two-factorial randomized complete block design were established in 2022, with three replications and 28 hybrids. Seven traits were analyzed in this research: days female end, days of synchronization F-M, days of tasseling, grain dry content, grain dry yield (15% wet), general impression and grain matter content. Mutual correlations were established for all examined traits in all localities, ranging from -0.788 between the traits general impression and grain dry content to 0.978 between the traits general impression and days female end (at the Szekkutes site). Due to the importance of this kind of research, it is necessary to extend the duration of trials to increase accuracy in evaluating abiotic stresses and their effects on fecundation and grain yield.

Generation time is the principal bottleneck constraining genetic gain in plant breeding. Speed breeding (SB) addresses this by simultaneously managing photoperiod, light spectrum and intensity, temperature, CO2 concentration, mineral nutrition, growing substrate volume, and post-harvest seed dormancy, enabling four to seven generations per year in long-day cereals and legumes, and four to five generations in optimised short-day systems. This review sets the conventional pedigree framework as the benchmark against which SB is evaluated; synthesises validated environmental parameters and crop-specific protocols; and examines principal SB applications in hybridisation, genomic selection, disease-resistance screening, and allele introgression. A structured comparison of major review and protocol papers identifies broad consensus on core parameters alongside genuine divergence on far-red light supplementation. Critical evaluation addresses genotype-by-environment interaction, incomplete trait coverage, infrastructure costs, and unresolved questions on biological integrity of rapidly advanced generations. The review further discusses new genomic techniques (NGTs), particularly CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing, in the context of the EU’s June 2026 NGT regulation, under which Category 1 plants carrying only targeted endogenous modifications are exempt from GMO authorisation. When combined with SB, this regulatory shift can compress the interval from gene-editing event to registered variety from decades to a few years. Speed breeding, NGTs, and conventional field-based selection are most productively treated as complementary elements of a unified pipeline.

Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) is a well-known pome fruit species, primarily used for the production of jams and marmalades as well as for pear rootstocks. It has long been cultivated in Serbia at various locations and it possesses vast genetic variability. The aim of this study was to evaluate genetic diversity of 36 genotypes collected from the Fruška Gora locality. Seven SSR markers were used for genetic diversity analyses, revealing a total of 85.7 % polymorphic loci. Six of them were polymorphic, while marker Hi02d04 was homozygous. A total of 20 alleles were recorded, with an average number of alleles per marker of Na = 1.58. The number of effective alleles was Ne = 1.4, observed heterozygosity was Ho = 0.34, while expected heterozygosity was He = 0.22. Principle coordinates analyses (PCoA) explained 74.60% of total diversity with its 3 coordinates and formed 4 different groups of genotypes. The dendrogram constructed with the UPGMA method placed genotypes in 3 different clusters, with variation observed within clusters. The use of SSR markers revealed significant differences between the tested genotypes, providing a closer insight into the state of the genetic resources of this pome species in our country.