This contributed volume provides insights into crop breeding strategies tailored for rainfed agricultural systems, focusing on past successes, future challenges, and effective mitigation strategies.

Rainfed agriculture accounts for nearly 80% of the world's cultivated land. With one-third of the developing world's population residing in these rainfed regions, enhancing the adaptability and resilience of rainfed crops is crucial to maintain consistent productivity under changing climate scenarios. In India specifically, where rainfed agriculture occupies 60% of the agricultural area, it serves as a major source of sustenance for a significant portion of the population, particularly those living in poverty. Therefore, it is necessary to reassess and discuss the achievements, breeding methodologies, and biotechnological advancements to find ways to better adapt rainfed crops for upcoming climate change. This book consolidates knowledge, methodologies, and innovations essential for enhancing the resilience of crops to varying climatic conditions. Each chapter delves into specific aspects of rainfed crop breeding, covering topics such as pre-breeding approaches, conventional breeding methods, mutation breeding, molecular breeding techniques, genomics-assisted breeding, epigenetics, speed breeding for accelerated crop improvement, functional genomics, genetic engineering, proteomics, miRNA-mediated engineering, genome editing, drought stress signaling responses, phenomics combined with artificial intelligence, and genomic selection.

It serves as a valuable resource for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers involved in promoting resilient and sustainable agriculture in rainfed regions worldwide.

Dr. Ved Prakash Rai is currently working as Assistant Research Scientist at Agricultural Research Station, Navsari Agricultural University, Bharuch, Gujarat, India. He completed his doctoral research from the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He has thirteen years of research experience in the area of molecular breeding for biotic and abiotic stresses in pepper, rice, wheat, sorghum and pulse crops. Presently, he is working on breeding for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in pulses and sorghum crops suitable for rain fed agricultural systems. He has successfully completed five externally funded research projects and published over twenty-five research articles in International and National journals. Dr. Rai has been awarded a Young Scientist - Start up Research Grant from SERB-DST, New Delhi and conferred 'Young Scientist Award' from Bioved Research Society, Allahabad, India in 2015 and 'Excellence in Research' award from Society for Scientific Development in Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, India in 2023.

 Dr. Anil Kumar Singh is currently working at Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Dr. Singh is working as a plant breeder in ICAR sponsored 02 pulse improvement projects at country level. His research is mainly focused on biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Dr. Singh has published more than 50 research articles in journals of national and international repute. He has successfully completed 07 externally funded research projects and has been conferred with many awards in academic excellence including 02 gold medals during post-graduation, “Young Scientist of the Year 2015” by International Foundation for Environment and Ecology, Kolkata, India and “Young Scientist Associate Award- 2016” by Bioved Research Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad, India.

Dr. Timur R. Ahlawat is currently working as Professor at Department of Horticulture, ASPEE College of Horticulture; and Director of Research, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India. Dr. Ahlawat has completed his doctoral research from Anand Agricultural University, Anand, India. He has more than 17 years of teaching and 20 years of research experience in the area fruit and vegetable production. He has published more than 60 research articles in journals of national and international repute edited three books on Horticulture and authored 23 book chapters. He has successfully completed three externally funded research projects. Dr. Ahlawat conferred with the fellowship of Confederation of Horticulture Associations of India, New Delhi in 2014; Best teacher a     ward of Navsari Agricultural University in 2015, and Bir Singh Aasi Memorial Award in 2015.

Dr. Gyanendra Kumar Rai is working as Professor at School of Biotechnology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu. He is Post Graduate in Biochemistry from University of Allahabad, Allahabad and D. Phil. from University of Allahabad, India. He has over 20 years research and 15 years teaching experience and his work focused on Abiotic stress tolerance mechanism in crop plants. Dr. Rai awarded as young scientist associate award, Vimla Devi medal and Fellow Award from Society of Applied Biotechnology. Dr. Rai completed and conducted many research projects as a PI or Co PI. Dr. Rai has ninety-five research papers in international and national reputed journals, forty-one book chapters published in reference book, training manual and compendium and fifty-three popular articles published in various science magazines.