Explain the main steps in breeding a new genetic variety of crop?

  1. Collection of variability / germplasm collection, collection and preservation of all different wild varieties, species and relatives of cultivated species / entire collection of plants.
  2. Evaluation and selection of parents, to identify plant with desirable combination of character / purelines are created.
  3. Cross hybridization among selected parents, cross hybridizing the two parents to produce hybrids.
  4. Selection and testing of superior recombinants, selection among the progeny of the hybrids that have desired character combinations, superior to both the parents / self pollinated for several generations.
  5. Testing, release and commercialisation of new cultivars, newly selected lines are evaluated for yield / other agronomic traits of quality / disease resistance in research feels followed by testing the material in farmers fields.