Question

Describe the objectives of plant breeding.

Answer 1

Plant breeding improves the characteristic of plants. So that it becomes both economically and agronomically desirable for humans. To plant breeding we create desirable genotypes and phenotypes of plants for many purposes.

Complete step by step answer:
Plant breeding is very important to ensure food security by developing new and high varieties of crops so that they can yield more as compared to before. Also, the crops are disease-resistant and can tolerate drought easily, and are adapted to any reason and to different environments.
- So the primary aim of plant breeding is to improve the characteristics of plants so that they can become more useful for humans. The objectives of plant breeding are:

1. High yield: for the higher yield of grain fiber sugar oil, etc. We develop hybrid varieties of jowar, Bajra, Maize, etc.
2. Improved quality: the quality may vary from one crop to another such as the size, shape, and color of the grains. Milling and baking quality of wheat, cooking quality of rice, the flavor of fruits and the keeping quality of vegetables, etc.
3. Disease and pest resistance: many resistant varieties of crops are developed which offer the easiest and cheapest method to control disease and pests. E.g rust resistance in wheat.
4. Maturity Duration: Plant breeding gives permission to new crop rotation and also extends the crop area. This helps farmers to grow two to three crops in a year.
5. Agronomic characters: Characters like a dwarf, branching erect resistance, profuse tillering, and fertilizer responsiveness are included.
6. Photo and thermo insensitivity: Through plant breeding, a photo and thermal resistant varieties of rice and wheat were made that extend their cultivation to new areas.
7. Varieties for a new season: Through plant breeding crops grown which are suitable for all the seasons. Example: maize which is a Kharif crop grown in Rabi and summer also.

Additional information:
- Crops were also made with moisture and salt tolerance.
- Plant breeding can be done through genetic engineering or different methods of pollination.
- Advancements in molecular biology have sharpened the tools of the breeders.
- It is believed that genetically engineered rice, maize, soybean, cotton, oilseed rape, sugar beet, and alfalfa commercialized before the close of the 20th century.

Note:
- One big advancement of plant breeding is the capability to eliminate their diseases.
- So plant breeding is a science of changing the traits of a plant in order to produce the desired characteristics.