Toward next-generation passion fruit breeding: key trait insights, emerging breeding tools and future opportunities

Passion fruit ( Passiflora spp.) is a highly valued tropical fruit crop due to its unique sensory attributes, high nutritional value, and therapeutic properties. Enhancing yield stability, stress adaptation, and cultivar quality remains a key priority in passion fruit breeding programs. With more than 500 species, the wide genetic variability of Passiflora makes it a valuable resource for breeding. However, passion fruit breeding is constrained by the complex inheritance of key traits, high heterozygosity and relatively long breeding cycles. In this context, the integration of advanced genomic tools and AI-assisted breeding presents transformative opportunities to accelerate and enhance the precision of cultivar development. This review synthesizes current breeding strategies and discusses their application in Passiflora, highlighting innovations such as genomic selection, speed breeding, and CRISPR-based gene editing. Furthermore, we explore future avenues to improve breeding efficiency, develop climate-resilient and high-quality cultivars, and ultimately support the sustainability and profitability of the passion fruit industry.