36 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2026 AI PLATFORMS AROUND the world are already changing how crop breeders analyze data, evaluate germ plasm and make breeding decisions. Decades ago, modern breeding relied heavily on large plots and wide-scale phe notype selection. Over the past 20 years, tools such as genome mapping, marker- assisted selection and gene editing have expanded what breeders can identify and accomplish. AI is adding another layer, allowing breeders to analyze much larger and more complex datasets and, increas ingly, predict outcomes before making a cross or planting a field trial. AI is already being used to better understand trait physiology. In 2019, a team based at the University of California-Davis published results from using AI to predict metabolic pathways in tomatoes. But understanding trait biochemistry is only one area where AI is affecting breeding. AI platforms can now speed genetic marker scoring, help select genes for edit ing, model breeding decisions and predict cross outcomes without field trials. U.S. firms Heritable Agriculture and Avalo, for example, both offer AI modeling. Researchers around the world are also beginning to describe AI as a new stage in crop breeding. Geneticists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently outlined what they call Breeding 5.0, a stage in which AI can digitally mine and evaluate germplasm and transform “static gene banks into dynamic, deeply-analyz able intelligent data sources.” They describe AI as coming to “deeply ‘understand germplasm,’ not merely by identifying genetic markers but also by decoding its architecture, plasticity, regulatory logic and environmental inter actions.” This “germplasm intelligence,” they argue, could enable predictive trait modeling, optimized parental design and more targeted selection. AI may also help breeding programs make better use of information they already possess. “AI can help us leverage existing data, clean it up and extract useful information,” explains Heritable Agriculture CEO Dr. Brad Zamft. “It’s safe to say most breed ing companies have decades and dec AI Is Changing How Breeders Make Decisions From mining germplasm and predicting crosses to finding genes for editing, AI is moving deeper into the breeding process. Researchers say the biggest gains may come from combining better models with better data. By Treena Hein, Seed World Contributor Researchers examine a cotton field as breeding programs increasingly combine field observations with larger datasets and predictive tools. PHOTO: AVALO
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