Faster, Smarter, Precise: Integrating Speed Breeding and CRISPR-Based New Genomic Techniques into the Conventional Field Crop Breeding Pipeline.

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart macromolecular materials capable of undergoing reversible shape transitions under external stimuli, e.g., heat [], light [], electric fields [], magnetic fields [], or humidity []. Driven by their stimulus–responsiveness and 4D printing advancements, SMPs show immense potential in aerospace [], biomedicine [], and soft robotics []. Specifically, light–responsive SMPs enable the remote and localized programming of material geometry and mechanical behavior via optical stimuli [,,,], making them indispensable for advanced applications like soft robotics and intelligent actuation [,,]. Despite the intrinsic merits of light–responsive SMPs, single–stimulus systems fundamentally suffer from restricted actuation output and poor cyclic endurance [,,]. To address these impediments, multi–responsive shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs)—specifically photothermal–responsive systems—have been widely developed. Typically, conventional photothermal SMPs incorporate infrared (IR)–absorbing agents (e.g., polydopamine [,], graphene, or carbon nanotubes [,]) via physical blending [,]. These approaches still predominantly rely on doping with inorganic photothermal absorbers or organic dyes, which are highly prone to inducing macroscopic phase separation and filler agglomeration within the polymer matrix. This resulting interfacial incompatibility not only compromises the mechanical integrity of the composites but also exacerbates cyclic instability and diminishes actuation precision in complex operational environments []. Compounding these issues, organic dyes inherently suffer from poor stability []. In contrast to infrared photo–responsive systems relying on inorganic photothermal fillers, ultraviolet (UV) photo–responsive SMPs achieve shape alteration through photochemical reactions (e.g., photoisomerization) of photosensitive groups (e.g., azobenzene [,,] or cinnamic acid [,]). By introducing this mechanism into thermally induced SMPs, step–wise deformations driven independently by light and heat can be achieved. This filler–free, purely organic design circumvents inherent inorganic filler issues such as aggregation, poor interfacial compatibility, and mechanical embrittlement, thereby preserving the material’s inherent flexibility and optical transparency [,]. Furthermore, this mechanism enables the orthogonalization of driving stimuli. Light drives deformation and fixation below the thermal transition threshold, while heat independently triggers shape recovery. Photo–thermally sequentially responsive shape memory behavior was used to describe this dual–stimulus system (UV photochemical deformation and subsequent thermal shape recovery) []. This effectively avoids accidental recovery caused by thermal diffusion in conventional infrared–responsive SMPs, ensuring the material remains thermodynamically frozen during photo–induced deformation to improve deformation precision and operational stability [].