that they can yield better. Most of the
crop plants at present like - Legumes, oilseed crops and cereals are developed by bringing gradual alternations in their wild species.
The plant breeders all over the world trying to bring the mild plants into cultivation for human welfare. Also introducing the various methods of
plant breeding.
Induction of genotype is mainly performed by improving the genetic potentialities in plants. The improvement of crop varieties is called plant breeding.
During the plant breeding process, the desired characters are selected, tested and supplied to farmers for cultivation. The various methods of plant breeding are:----
(i) Selection :- Desired characters are picked up and these selected plants
are allowed to reproduce for setting
their seeds. The seeds are collected
and again a new crop is developed.
(ii) Hybridisation:-- It is a process of
making a cross between the two genetically diverse parents to have
a progeny of desired characters.
When hybridisation occurs between two plants is known as single cross, when performed among more than two plants
it is called multiple cross.
(iii) Mutation breeding:-- There are sudden changes in the hereditary material which alter the genotype of an organism.
Mostly these changes are large and
easily detectable, and may cause variations which are not always useful,
but in certain cases, they are of great advantage.
Mutation breeding successfully demonstrated in many vegetatively propagated plants e.g., ornamentals, potatoes, fruit crops, sugarcane, sweet potatoes etc.
(iv) Genetic engineering :-- The selection, hybridisation, mutation
are the conventional methods of
crop improvement. Now the latest
Recombinant DNA Technology or
Genetic engineering is meant to
transfer of one or more genes from
one plant to another. The plant in which another gene or foreign gene have been
introduced is called transgenic plant.
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