Question

Differentiate between intravarietal and intervarietal hybridisation.

Answer 1

Sr. No.	Aspect	Intravarietal hybridisation	Intervarietal hybridisation
1.	Definition	Crosses made between plants of the same variety.	Crosses are made between plants of two different varieties of the same species.
2.	Genetic variation	Useful mainly when the variety is a mixture of different genotypes, common in self-pollinated crops.	Involves combining different gene pools from two varieties; commonly used to develop new varieties.
3.	Applicability	Mainly useful in self-pollinated crops for improving or maintaining a variety; limited use in cross-pollinated crops.	Commonly used in both self- and cross-pollinated crops to create hybrids with improved traits.
4.	Purpose	To maintain genetic purity or make slight improvements within the same variety.	To combine desirable traits from two diverse varieties to produce superior offspring.
5.	Examples/Use cases	To improve a self-pollinated crop variety that is genetically heterogeneous.	Many present cereal varieties have been evolved through intervarietal hybridisation.