Unlocking Kenya’s Pyrethrum Potential: A Breeding Review for a Competitive Future

Pyrethrum ( Tanacetum cinerariifolium ) is a strategically important industrial crop underpinning the world supply of organic pesticides. Despite Kenya’s past dominance in global pyrethrum production, the genetic improvement of the crop has lagged. This has led to having varieties of low yields, variable pyrethrin content, susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses, and poor farmer profitability. This literature review addresses both conventional and modern breeding methods with a particular emphasis on the innovative method now used in Kenya, led by Kentegra Pyrethrum Company. In order to address the unique difficulties posed by self‐sterility, heterozygosity, long selection periods, and low germplasm diversity of pyrethrum, this literature review aims to integrate biological principles of pyrethrum, quantitative genetics principles, and molecular and modern innovative approaches. Breeding strategies such as recurrent mass selection, family selection, reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS), and genomic selection (GS) are critically assessed in the context of the crop’s genetics. We also describe how best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) models, progeny testing, and genomic mate selection might increase selection precision in highly segregating populations. Key bottlenecks which include limited genetic base, costly phenotyping, insufficient conservation infrastructure, and poor pollination efficiency are highlighted, along with concrete remedies. This review positions Kenya to leverage late entry advantages by integrating genomics, high‐throughput phenotyping, and targeted breeding, thereby accelerating genetic gains and restoring pyrethrum as a competitive, sustainable industrial crop.