1. APPLIED CONCEPTS IN PLANT BREEDING
UNIT THREE
APPLIED CONCEPTS IN
PLANT BREEDING

2. Applied Concepts in Plant Breeding
Plant Breeding Objective
Applied Plant Breeding Methods

3. Objectives in Field Crop Breeding
Increased production capacity of:
Grain
Forage
Fiber
Greater stability of yield
Consistency over varied environments
Resistance or tolerance to insects and disease
Tolerance to unfavorable soil conditions
Tolerance to a wider range of weather conditions
Improved seed quality and seedling emergence

4. Objectives in Field Crop Breeding
Improved harvestability
More erect stalks
Shorter stalks
Taller stalks
Non-shattering of seed
Lack of chaff or fuzz

5. Objectives in Field Crop Breeding
Improved product quality
Higher protein content
Better profile of specific amino acids
Higher starch content
Improvement of specific carbohydrates
Product odor
Product taste
Product color
Better fiber qualities

6. Applied Plant Breeding Methods
Genetic variability must exist for the characteristics involved, and these characteristics must be identified and selected for
without genetic variability in nature,
plant populations could not be
improved by plant breeders
what problem might lack of genetic
variability cause in nature??

7. Creating Genetic Variability
Introduction
Bringing new plants into an area where they have not existed before
Hybridization
Introducing foreign alleles from a different parent
How does this tie in with our earlier discussions about “Centers of Origin” ?

8. Creating Genetic Variability
Selection
Groups of plants are screened for desired traits and those identified are retained and used as parental breeding stock
Mass selection
Selection of large quantities
Pure line selection
Individuals identified

9. Breeding Self-Pollinated Species
These crosses result in pure lines that breed true for all traits. Three examples are:
Pedigree
Bulk common breeding
Backcross methods-