STD 12th /Ch-9/ What is plant breeding?

Plant breeding is the process of altering the genetic traits of plants through selective breeding techniques to create new and improved plant varieties that are more productive, resilient, and better suited for specific uses. It is a fundamental aspect of agriculture that has been practiced for thousands of years and has resulted in the development of crops that are better adapted to different environmental conditions, pests and diseases, and changing consumer preferences.

The primary goal of plant breeding is to produce plants that have desirable traits, such as higher yields, better nutritional quality, resistance to pests and diseases, and improved tolerance to abiotic stress factors such as drought, heat, and cold. To achieve this, plant breeders use a variety of techniques to manipulate the genetic makeup of plants, including crossbreeding, hybridization, mutation breeding, genetic engineering, and genomic selection.

Crossbreeding involves mating two different plants with desirable traits to produce offspring with a combination of the desirable traits from both parents. This technique has been used for centuries to develop new varieties of crops that have better yield potential, improved quality, and resistance to pests and diseases.

Hybridization is a more advanced form of crossbreeding that involves the deliberate crossbreeding of two genetically different plants to produce offspring that have the best traits of both parents. This technique is often used in commercial agriculture to produce hybrid varieties of crops that have improved yield potential, better quality, and other desirable traits.

Mutation breeding is another technique that involves exposing plants to radiation or chemicals to induce mutations in their DNA, which can result in new and desirable traits. This technique has been used to develop new varieties of crops that have improved yield potential, better quality, and resistance to pests and diseases.

Genetic engineering is a newer technique that involves the direct manipulation of plant DNA to introduce new traits or modify existing ones. This technique allows breeders to introduce specific genes into plants to confer desirable traits, such as resistance to pests and diseases, improved nutritional quality, and better tolerance to abiotic stress factors.

Finally, genomic selection is a more recent development that involves using molecular markers to identify and select plants with desirable traits at an early stage of development, rather than waiting for the plants to mature and testing them in the field. This technique has revolutionized plant breeding by allowing breeders to select plants with desirable traits more accurately and efficiently.

Overall, plant breeding is a critical process that has played a vital role in ensuring food security and improving agricultural sustainability. By developing new and improved plant varieties that are better suited to different environments and changing consumer preferences, plant breeders have helped to ensure that the world's growing population has access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food.

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