Question

Discuss the advantage of protoplast fusion, citing one example.

Answer 1

Protoplast fusion allows combining genomes of different species, overcoming sexual incompatibility. This speeds up the development of hybrids with desirable traits. For example, protoplast fusion between potato and tomato produces “pomato,” an intergeneric hybrid combining traits of both plants. This method enables the creation of novel crops with improved yield and quality, which traditional breeding cannot achieve due to species barriers.