Introduction:

Plant breeding is the science of changing the traits of plants in order to produce desired characteristics (genotypes and phenotypes for specific purposes). It has been used to improve the quality of nutrition in products for humans and animals. The goals of plant breeding are to produce crop varieties that boast unique and superior traits for a variety of agricultural applications. 

This manipulation involves either controlled pollination, genetic engineering, or both, followed by artificial selection of progeny.

Plant breeding often, but not always, leads to plant domestication.

Plant breeding has been practiced for thousands of years, since near the beginning of human civilization.

It is now practiced worldwide by government institutions and commercial enterprises.

International development agencies believe that breeding new crops is important for ensuring food security and developing practices through the development of crops suitable for their environment.

Classical plant breeding uses deliberate interbreeding (crossing) of closely or distantly related individuals to produce new crop varieties or lines with desirable properties.

Plants are crossbred to introduce traits/genes from one variety or line into a new genetic background.

For example, a mildew-resistant pea may be crossed with a high-yielding but susceptible pea, the goal of the cross being to introduce mildew resistance without losing the high-yield characteristics.

Progeny from the cross would then be crossed with the high-yielding parent to ensure that the progeny were most like the high-yielding parent, (backcrossing).

The progeny from that cross would then be tested for yield and mildew resistance and high-yielding resistant plants would be further developed.

Plants may also be crossed with themselves to produce inbred varieties for breeding.

One major technique of plant breeding is selection, the process of selectively propagating plants with desirable characteristics and eliminating or "culling" those with less desirable characteristics.

Another technique is the deliberate interbreeding (crossing) of closely or distantly related individuals to produce new crop varieties or lines with desirable properties. Plants are crossbred to introduce traits/genes from one variety or line into a new genetic background. For example, a mildew-resistant pea may be crossed with a high-yielding but susceptible pea, the goal of the cross being to introduce mildew resistance without losing the high-yield characteristics. Progeny from the cross would then be crossed with the high-yielding parent to ensure that the progeny were most like the high-yielding parent, (backcrossing). The progeny from that cross would then be tested for yield (selection, as described above) and mildew resistance and high-yielding resistant plants would be further developed. Plants may also be crossed with themselves to produce inbred varieties for breeding. Pollinators may be excluded through the use of pollination bags.

Classical breeding relies largely on homologous recombination between chromosomes to generate genetic diversity. The classical plant breeder may also make use of a number of in vitro techniques such as protoplast fusion, embryo rescue or mutagenesis (see below) to generate diversity and produce hybrid plants that would not exist in nature.

Traits that breeders have tried to incorporate into crop plants include:

Improved quality, such as increased nutrition, improved flavour, or greater beauty

Increased yield of the crop

Increased tolerance of environmental pressures (salinity, extreme temperature, drought)

Resistance to viruses, fungi and bacteria

Increased tolerance to insect pests

Increased tolerance of herbicides

Longer storage period for the harvested crop.

Journal of Plant Biology and Agriculture Science is an International circulating peer-reviewed Open Access journal provides limitless access to literatures presenting original research and scientific advances in the field of Agriculture and Plant Biology. The journal also publishes short communications, commentaries, opinion, Image articles and letters.

Submissions online at: https://www.pulsus.com/submissions/plant-biology-agriculture-sciences.html

Regards,                                                                         

Alina Grace,

Associate Managing Editor,

Journal of plant biology and agriculture science