Breeding in Plants

Introduction

Breeding is one of the most adopted methods in the field of science. Breeding is done in animals as well in plants to produce offspring of desired quality. Breeding in plants is most generally adopted to increase plant production, enhance the quality of the plant, as well as make them resistant to insecticide and pesticides. With the increase in human need, breeding is becoming one of the most important aspects of science. There are several methods of breeding on the basis of hybridisation. Some of the methods are cross-breeding, molecular breeding, Tissue, and cell culture, Hybrid breeding, Somatic hybridization, etc.

What is Breeding?

Breeding is defined as the recombination of genes to produce a new species. Basically, this bonding is done to produce offspring of a mixed gene. Breeding is usually done in animals as well as in plants by taking into consideration the male and female specimens. Breeding is categorised as animal breeding and plant breeding in animal breeding, the propagation of domestic animals, is taken into consideration to produce a desirable quality of genes. Similarly, in plants, breeding is done as per human desires. The specimens from the parent plant are taken for breeding two different plants to produce high-quality genes.

Breeding in Plants

Breeding in plants is defined as the recombination of the traits of 2 different plants to produce a new species. Gregor Mendel is known as the “Father of Genetics.” The breeding of the plants is done to satisfy human needs and produce a plant according to the requirement. The breeding in plants is done by considering a wide variety of plants on the basis of their characteristics. After considering the two desired plants for breeding, the pollen from the male parent was intentionally placed on the stigma of the female parent. In every breeding, when the hybrids are created, a selection process is considered in which the high-yielding hybrids are selected as per the desired quality and the requirement.

Types of Breeding in Plants

• Cross-breeding in plants: Cross-breeding in plants is defined as the recombination of the genes of two parent plants to produce offspring with desired characteristics. There are three types of cross-breeding in plants, they are:

1. Backcrossing in plants: Backcrossing is done in the plants to enhance the quality of the plants and improve the overall yield production. It is generally performed on self-pollinating plants. Backcrossing is done in a variety of plants that have high efficiency but lack several characteristics. Backcrossing plays a vital role in making the plants resistant to various diseases.
2. Pedigree Breeding in plants: Pedigree Breeding is defined as the recombination of the specimen of two varieties of parent plants that have the desired quality as per the requirement. Once the offspring is infused with desired quality, no further genetic recombination is required.
3. Inbreeding in plants: Inbreeding in plants is performed basically over the cross-pollinating plants that have high characteristics. This specific breeding is considered for the plants that are genetically identical.

• Molecular Breeding in plants: In molecular breeding in plants, the gene structure is studied for recombination, unlike other breeding methods that focus on the appearance of the plants. Molecular Breeding in plants is carried out in a similar way as that of inbreeding or backcrossing.
• Genetic Engineering in plants: In genetic engineering, the plants are bred to produce offspring with desired characteristics by considering DNA recombination. The offspring produced through genetic engineering are called transgenic plants.
• Somatic hybridisation in plants: Somatic hybridisation focuses on the recombination of the protoplast obtained from the somatic cells of two different plants or a single parent plant.

Advantages of Breeding in Plants

It is becoming essential in the field of science to breed plants because of the growing human requirement and needs. There are several advantages of breeding in plants, they are:

• Breeding plays a vital role in improving quality
• Due to the growing human demand, the crop yield has increased greatly
• It enhances the tolerance quality of the plants so they can resist environmental calamities like drought, flood
• It is responsible for the genetic enhancement of plants
• It also makes the plants immune to various insecticides and pesticides

Conclusion

Breeding is an important aspect of science, which is defined as the recombination of the parent’s genes to produce a new offspring of higher characteristics and desired quality. Breeding is mostly practised in the plants to produce high-yielding crops. There are several types of breeding in plants like Cross-breeding, mutation breeding, Cell and tissue culture, etc. There are several advantages of breeding in plants as the overall quality of the plant is enhanced as per the human requirement. Apart from breeding in plants, a basic knowledge of breeding in animals is required to understand the concept of breeding clearly.