Question

Which is the oldest breeding method?
A. Hybridisation
B. Selection
C. Mutation
D. Introduction

Answer 1

“Plant breeding is the deliberate modification of plant properties to generate new varieties with a desired set of characteristics”.
Plants of greater grade are chosen and crossed to produce plants of the desired quality. As a result, a plant population with better and desired features emerges.
The following are the main goals of plant breeding:
In order to boost agricultural output.
To produce plants with certain traits.
The goal is to create a disease-resistant crop.
To create plants that can withstand high levels of environmental stress.

Complete answer:
Option A: Pollen grains from one intended parent plant, designated as a male parent, are gathered and dusted over another plant, designated as a female parent.
So, option A is not correct.
Option B: The earliest method of plant breeding is selection, commonly known as the German method. It is the process of preserving and cultivating plants with desirable characteristics. Man began cultivating plants and animals as part of agriculture to suit his needs. This is when humans began to understand how to manipulate natural evolution in order to breed plants and animals. Slowly but steadily, this process of accelerated evolution through plant selection and nurturing became a routine undertaking, which we now refer to as plant breeding. Plant breeding has evolved into a variety of techniques. Selection is one of the most significant procedures. After choosing parents with desirable traits, they can be hybridised to produce better offspring with both parent qualities. All crop improvement programmes are built on the foundation of selection, which is the oldest method of plant breeding.
So, option B is correct.
Option C: If a resistant variety is not available, resistance can be generated by generating mutations in the plant using a variety of methods, followed by resistance screening of the plant material.
Mutation occurs when the nucleotide sequence of a gene is altered as a result of exposure to certain chemicals or radiations. The resulting resistant plants can be directly multiplied or employed in subsequent breeding operations.
So, option C is incorrect.
Option D: Plant introduction is the process of moving plants (either a genotype or a group of genotypes) from one environment to another. The introduction procedure may include new crop varieties, wild relatives of agricultural species, or whole new crop species for the area.
So, option D is not correct

Therefore, Option C. is the correct answer.

Note:
It is vital to develop varieties that are specifically adapted to the peculiar conditions of organic agriculture if this sector is to reach its full potential. This necessitates the consideration of characteristics such as:
1. Efficiency in Water Use.
2. Efficiency of nutrient utilisation (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus).
3. Competitiveness of weeds.
4. Mechanical weed control tolerance.
5. Resistance to pests and diseases.
6. Maturity at an early age (as a mechanism for avoidance of particular stresses).
7. Tolerance to abiotic stress (i.e., drought, salinity, etc.).