Plant breeding activities in Iran have initiated in 1930, followed by program-based breeding activities through establishing Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII) in 1959. Breeding and agronomy of field crops as well as horticultural crops was the mandate of SPII.
Since 1993 many commodity institutes have separated from SPII and work independently. Currently, SPII in its headquarter consists of Cereal Research Department (wheat, barley, rye, triticale), Oilseed Crops Research Department (canola, sunflower, sesame, soybean, safflower, peanut), Maize and Forage Crops Research Department (maize, alfalfa, clover, millets, sorghum, sainfoin), Vegetable and Irrigated Food Legumes Research Department (eggplant, tomato, potato, pepper, cucumbers, beans, faba bean, etc.), Genetics Resources Research Department and National Plant Gene Bank, and Technical and Research Services Department. SPII as the oldest and largest applied plant breeding and agronomy research institute in Iran works with a network of 30 provincial Agriculture and Natural Recourses Research and Education Centers as well as 80 affiliated research field stations across the country.