Reverse Breeding: A Breakthrough Technique for Genetic Fixation and Hybrid Reconstruction

Reverse breeding (RB), a novel plant breeding approach, helps to identify the parental homozygous lines for any uncharacterized but useful heterozygous plant that a plant breeder needs utmost. For this, genetic engineering at meiotic cell division, particularly meiosis-I, must achieve the right combination and complement homozygous parental lines for recreating the desired hybrid. In this technology, meiotic cross-over is suppressed to stop the recombination at the chromosome level in the selected heterozygous plants. The success of RB in crops depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of doubled haploid (DH) technology, which is needed to produce diploid (2n) plants from haploid gametes (n) after diploidization. The review initially highlights the current status and requirement of RB in addressing global challenges related to food and nutritional security. It then discusses the different mechanisms to engineer meiosis to suppress cross-over and the fixation of nonrecombinant chromosomes through DH technology. The review further examines immediate applications of RB and the factors influencing its efficiency. The advantages and limitations of RB are also discussed, along with its potential applications in future crop improvement. In conclusion, RB represents a promising plant breeding approach for overcoming prevailing challenges through the development of crop varieties with improved disease resistance, climate resilience, nutritional quality, and other traits relevant to sustainable agriculture and human needs.