There are many challenges facing the development of high-yielding, nutritious crops for future environments. One limiting factor is generation time, which prolongs research and plant breeding timelines. Recent advances in speed breeding protocols have dramatically reduced generation time for many short-day and long-day species by optimizing light and temperature conditions during plant growth. However, winter crops with a vernalization requirement still require up to 6–10 weeks in low-temperature conditions before the transition to reproductive development. Here, we tested a suite of environmental conditions and protocols to investigate whether the vernalization process can be accelerated. We identified a vernalization method consisting of exposing seeds at the soil surface to an extended photoperiod of 22 h day:2 h night at 10°C with transfer to speed breeding conditions that dramatically reduces generation time in both winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) and winter barley (Hordeum vulgare). Implementation of the speed vernalization protocol followed by speed breeding allowed the completion of up to five generations per year for winter wheat or barley, whereas only two generations can be typically completed under standard vernalization and plant growth conditions. The speed vernalization protocol developed in this study has great potential to accelerate biological research and breeding outcomes for winter crops.

为未来的环境开发高产、营养作物面临着许多挑战。一个限制因素是世代时间，它延长了研究和植物育种的时间。通过优化植物生长过程中的光照和温度条件，快速育种协议的最新进展显着缩短了许多短日照和长日照物种的世代时间。然而，具有春化要求的冬季作物在向生殖发育过渡之前仍需要在低温条件下长达 6-10 周。在这里，我们测试了一套环境条件和协议，以研究是否可以加速春化过程。我们确定了一种春化方法，包括将土壤表面的种子暴露在 22 小时/天的延长光周期中：Triticum aestivum ) 和冬大麦 ( Hordeum vulgare )。实施快速春化协议和快速育种后，冬小麦或大麦每年最多可以完成五代，而在标准春化和植物生长条件下通常只能完成两代。本研究开发的快速春化方案具有加速冬季作物生物学研究和育种成果的巨大潜力。