Crossing Technique

Offspring produced by crossing two individuals that differ in one or more characters are called hybrids.

The process of crossing two genetically different individuals to produce hybrids is called hybridization.

• Emasculation is the process of removing anthers from a flower before they mature to prevent natural self-pollination.
• To control reproduction, the flower's stigma is covered to block unwanted pollen, and selected mature pollen from a male parent is manually applied.
• The original plants selected for crossing make up the parent generation (P₁), and their direct offspring constitute the first filial generation (F₁).
• When the F₁ offspring are allowed to self-fertilize, they produce the next set of offspring, known as the second filial generation (F₂).
• The overall process of crossing two plants with contrasting traits is called hybridization, which results in offspring known as hybrids.