Md.

Ashraful Haque

Definition :
Plant breeding can be defined “as an art and science” and
technology of improving the genetic make up of plants in
relation to their economic use for the man kind.
or
Plant breeding is the art and science of improving the
heredity of plants for the benefit of mankind.
or
Plant breeding deals with the genetic improvement of crop
plants also known as science of crop improvement.
or
Science of changing and improving the heredity of plants
 What is Plant Breeding?
Plant Breeding deals with principles, methods and techniques that
are essential for changing the genetic constitution or genotype of
a crop plant; making the same more desirable both agronomically
and economically to the end users
Major Principles/ Steps in Plant Breeding
Introduction
Domestication
Selection
Hybridization
Evaluation
Release of varieties Key messages
Maintaining/changing Genetic make-up of crop (s)

Economic and sustainable crop (s) production

Beneficial for mankind Leaders of the Future

Aim :
Plant breeding aims to improve the characteristics of plants
so that they become more desirable agronomically and
economically. The specific objectives may vary greatly
depending on the crop under consideration.
Major Tools of crop variety development

Clustered regularly interspaced short

palindromic repeats
Objectives of Plant Breeding :
1. Higher yield : The ultimate aim of plant breeding is to
improve the yield of “economic produce on economic
part”. It may be grain yield, fodder yield, fiber yield, tuber
yield, cane yield or oil yield depending upon the crop
species. Improvement in yield can be achieved either by
evolving high yielding varieties or hybrids.

2. Improved quality: Quality of product is another

important objective in plant breeding.
The quality characters vary from crop to crop i.e. grain size,
color, milling and baking quality in wheat. Cooking quality
in rice, malting quality in barley, color and size of fruits,
nutritive and keeping quality in vegetables, protein content
in pulses, oil content in oilseeds, fiber length, strength and
fineness in cotton.
3.Abiotic resistance : Crop plants also suffer from abiotic
factors such as drought, soil salinity, extreme temperatures,
heat, wind, cold and frost, breeder has to develop resistant
varieties for such environmental conditions.

4. Biotic resistance : Crop plants are attacked by various

diseases and insects, resulting in considerable yield losses.
Genetic resistance is the cheapest and the best method of
minimizing such losses. Resistant varieties are developed
through the use of resistant donor parents available in the
gene pool.
5. Change in maturity Duration / Earliness : Earliness is the
most desirable character which has several advantages. It
requires less crop management period, less insecticidal
sprays, permits new crop rotations and often extends the
crop area. Development of wheat varieties suitable for late
planting has permitted rice-wheat rotation. Thus breeding
for early maturing crop varieties, or varieties suitable for
different dates of planting may be an important objective.
Maturity has been reduced from 270 days to 170 days in
cotton, from 270 days to 120 days in pigeonpea, from 360
days to 270 days in
sugarcane.
6. Determinate Growth : Development of varieties with
determinate growth is desirable in crops like mung, pigeon
pea (Cajanus cajan), cotton (Gossypium
7. Dormancy : In some crops, seeds germinate even before harvesting in
the standing crop if there are rains at the time of maturity, e.g., greengram,
blackgram, Barley and Pea, etc. A period of dormancy has to be introduced
in these crops to check loss due to germination. In some other cases,
however, it may be desirable to remove dormancy.

8. Desirable Agronomic Characteristics : It includes plant height, branching,

tillering capacity, growth habit, erect or trailing habit etc., is often desirable.
For example, dwarfness in cereals is generally associated with lodging
resistance and better fertilizer response. Tallness, high tillering and profuse
branching are desirable characters in fodder crops.
9.Elimination of Toxic Substances : It is essential to develop
varieties free from toxic compounds in some crops to make
them safe for human consumption. For example, removal of
neurotoxin in Khesari – lentil (Lathyruys sativus) which leads
to paralysis of lower limbs, erucic acid from Brassica which is
harmful for human health, and gossypol from the seed of
cotton is necessary to make them fit for human consumption.
Removal of such toxic substances would increase the
nutritional value of these crops
10. Non-shattering characteristics: The sha ttering of pods is serious
problem in green gram. Hence resistance to shattering is an important
objective in green gram.

11.Synchronous Maturity : It refers to maturity of a crop species at one

time. The
character is highly desirable in crops like greengram, cowpea, castor and
cotton where several pickings are required for crop harvest.

12.Photo and Thermo insensitivity: Development of varieties insensitive to

light and
temperature helps in crossing the cultivation boundaries of crop plants.
Photo and
thermo-insensitive varieties of wheat and rice has permitted their
cultivation in new areas. Rice is now cultivated in Punjab, while wheat is a
major rabi crop in West Bengal.
13.Wider adaptability: Adaptability refers to suitability of a
variety for general cultivation over a wide range of
environmental conditions. Adaptability is an important
objective in plant breeding because it helps in stabilizing the
crop production over regions and seasons.

14.Varieties for New Seasons : Traditionally maize is a

kharif crop. But scientists are now able to grow maize as
rabi and zaid crops. Similarly, mung is grown as a summer
crop in addition to the main kharif crop.
 Scopes of Plant Breeding

Plant breeding has several useful applications in the improvement

of crop plants. However, it has five main undesirable effects on crop
plants.

1. Reduction in Diversity : Modern improved varieties are more

uniform than land races.
Thus plant breeding leads to reduction in diversity. The uniform
varieties are more prone to the new races of pathogen than land
races which have high genetic diversity.

2. Narrow genetic base : Uniform varieties have narrow genetic

base. Such varieties generally have poor adaptability.
3. Danger of Uniformity : Most of the improved varieties have some
common parents in the pedigree which may cause danger of
uniformity.

4. Undesirable combinations : Sometimes, plant breeding leads to

undesirable combinations. The examples of man made crops having
undesirable combination of characters are Raphanobrassica and
Pomato.

5. Increased susceptibility to minor diseases and pests : Due to

emphasis on breeding for resistance to major diseases and insect
pests often resulted in an increased susceptibility to minor diseases
and pests. These have gained importance and, in some cases,
produced severe epidemics. The epidemic caused by Botrytis cinerea
(grey mold) in chickpea during 1980-82 in Punjab and Haryana. The
severe infection by Karnal bunt (Tilletia sp.) on some wheat varieties,
infestation of mealy bugs in Bt cotton
Thanks!