Question

Define plant breeding? Describe the various methods of plant breeding.

Answer 1

Plant breeding is the process of producing new varieties of plants by artificial selection. It is a method of improving the genetic make-up of plants.

Following are the various methods of plant breeding:

1.  Hybridisation: It is the crossing between two genetically dissimilar plants to produce a new variety of plant.
2. Recombinant DNA technology: It is the method of transferring genes from one organism to another to modify the genetic make-up of latter. It gives rise to transgenic plants.
3. Polyploidy: It refers to increasing the chromosome number of a plant that leads to increase in the plant production.
4. Mutation breeding: Mutations are sudden inheritable variations. They are produced at random through gamma irradiation and a number of other physical and chemical agents called mutagens.