Principles of Plant Breeding

Introduction

The process of plant breeding is not something new. There are numerous methods and techniques of plant breeding these days that have improved the field of agriculture. Principles of plant breeding deal with applying genetic recombination techniques to improve the quality and aesthetics of the plant.

The plants are bred by picking up the best variants with the best output. Such processes improve the genetic composition and also the esthetic makeup of the plant. When such procedures are repeated, they can even destroy the original build-up of the plant.

History of Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding

Plant breeding has been in practice since ancient times. There is evidence that backs up the principles of plant breeding in the production of cereal grains. Farmers were able to identify the high-performing plants in their fields and used their seeds to grow further crops.

Gregor Mendel, in the period of mid-1800s, supported the concept of heredity with the help of pea plants. This firmed the principles of plant breeding even more. Nearly in the early 20th century, the practice of enhancement of plants begin to come into action.

Since then people have used selective methods of plant breeding to get efficient results. Early plant breeding was done to improve the economic importance of the crop. There were thousands of capital invested in the project, but due to the continuous breeding, most of the recombinant plants are not even able to survive in nature. They can only survive when in specific conditions.

Advantages of Principles and Procedures of Plant Breeding

The story of plant breeding started in the mid-’80s when the father of genetics, Gregor Mendel, came up with his different experiments regarding the study of heredity. His principles were the basis of plant breeding, and most of the techniques are still based on these laws.

• The most important goal of plant breeders is to get desirable characteristics in the plant. There are thousands of varieties of agricultural crops, and due to various reasons, people and genetic incompatibility, most of these plants lack an overall nutritional boost. Plant breeding is the most effective way to get such a boost. Some of the desired characteristics that one can get via plant breeding are resistance to the disease, heat tolerance, and even soil salinity
• In many areas of the world, different pathogens attack the crop, which kills them or makes them infected, which, when ingested, causes problems in the human body. With the special plant breeding principles, scientists have made many plants tolerant to pathogens. This has made huge developmental growth in the field
• Breeders are also putting effort into the aesthetic enhancement of the plants. Mostly commercial plants’ demand depends on the beauty of the plant. Also, there has been an increase in interest of people to create home gardens, and also in event companies needs for decorative purposes. Thus, aesthetic plants especially pollinated ones are making big sales globally
• Plant breeding has contributed a lot to global food security. With principles of plant genetics and breeding, a number of crops are now durable and can even withstand harsh temperatures and conditions

Latest Advancements in the Field of Plant Breeding

There are tons of experiments going on with the field. For example, plant breeders have always combined different breeds to get better and higher-yielding plants. Some of the miraculous advancements in the field are:

• Better quality sugarcane production- The majority of sugarcane produced in the Indian region tend to have lower sugar content. Due to this their commercial demand is low as well. But using the principles of plant breeding, the combination with Saccharum Barberi, a south Indian sugarcane breed has been producing sugarcanes with greater sugar content with thicker stems. Hence, increasing the commercial value of the production.
• Development of different hybrids- Hybrids have also been very interesting due to plant breeding procedures. The Canga series of Maize and even the Bajra WCC-75 is among the newest developments. Even the special VaraLaxmi breed of Cotton is a very special one out there

Conclusion

Here we covered plant breeding principles and their early history. Through the article, you learned about advantages of the plant breeding for the economic health of our country along with quality crop production. The article has also discussed the most recent advancements in the field and how breeders are leveraging the phenomenon for maximum benefits. Plant Breeding is all based on the simple principles that have evolved since the early ’80s. These plant breeding principles and methods have been leading to the development of better plant breeds with numerous characteristics.