Lec# Crop Improvement Methods

CROP IMPROVEMENT METHODS
PLANT INTRODUCTION
Plant introduction usually means the introduction of the plants from places
outside the county, may be of same or another continent. It can be defined as
the “process of introducing plants from their growing locality to a new locality”
The introduction of the genotypes from the place where it is grown to an

entirely new area. It is the easiest or most common method of crop
improvement.
TYPES OF PLANT INTRODUCTION
• Intercontinental plant introduction
• Intercontinental or Inter-countries plant introduction
• Interstate plant introduction
• Intrastate or Inter-district plant introduction

INTERCONTINENTAL PLANT INTRODUCTION
Plant material is introduced from the country of another continent e.g.,

ridley wheat variety from Russia in Pakistan.
INTERCONTINENTAL OR INTER-COUNTRIES PLANT
INTRODUCTION
Introduction of plant material from another country within same continent, for
e.g., Litchi and loquat from China.
INTERSTATE PLANT INTRODUCTION
Introduction of plant material from another state within the same

country, for e.g., Galaxy 2013 wheat varieties from Punjab and
Hammal-13 from Sindh.
INTRASTATE OR INTER-DISTRICT PLANT INTRODUCTION
Introduction of plant material into different states within the country or from
another district within the same state, for e.g., distribution of state
recommended varieties of different crops from one district to another within
the same state for general cultivation.
Any plant material therefore brought from another place may be within or
outside the country, may be termed as introduced material or method of
plant introduction. These introductions are also termed as exotic collection
(EC, Introductions may be from outside the country) or indigenous collections
(IC, Introduction may be from other parts or other states of the same
country).
PLANT INTRODUCTION ON THE BASIS OF NATURE
On the basis of nature, plant introduction is divided into two types
Primary introduction:
Introduced plant is released directly for cultivation as a variety, for e.g.,
Introduction of Wheat varieties ‘Lerma Rojo’ and ‘Sonora 64’ in our country
from Mexico in early 1960s; IR8 and Jaya varieties of rice.
Secondary introduction:
Introduced material is used for selection or for hybridization with the
indigenous germplasm to bring about the desired improvement to make it
suitable for cultivation for e.g., wheat variety ‘kalyan sona’ and ‘sonalika.’
CROP IMPROVEMENT HISTORY
• Eight to ten thousand years ago, farmers have been altering the genetic makeup of the
crops they grow
• Early farmers selected the best looking plants and seeds and saved them to plant for the
next season
• By using science of genetics breeders use that knowledge to develop the improved varieties
with the desired traits
• The selection for features such as
faster growth,
higher yields,
pest and disease resistance,
larger seeds,
sweeter fruits
• Has dramatically changed domesticated plant species compared to their wild relatives
• For example
⦿ Initially thousands of years ago corn was found like finger of a hand
⦿ Today, there are hundreds of corn varieties which having various size are available
CONVENTIONAL METHOD OF CROP IMPROVEMENT
• Conventional plant breeding has been the

method used to develop new varieties of
crops for hundreds of years
• However, conventional plant breeding can no
longer sustain the global demand with the
Increasing population,
Decline in agricultural resources such as land
and water,
and the
Decreasing of the yield curve of the staple
crops
• Thus, new crop improvement technologies
should be developed and utilized
MUTATION BREEDING
Mutation breeding, sometimes referred to as "variation breeding“.
The process of exposing seeds to chemicals or radiation in order to generate mutants with desirable traits
to be bred with other cultivars. Plants created using mutagenesis are sometimes called mutagenic plants or
mutagenic seeds.
In 1920s, researchers discovered that they could greatly increase the number of these variations or
mutations by exposing plants to X-rays and mutation-inducing chemicals
Mutation breeding” accelerated after World War II, when the techniques of the nuclear age (began in mid-
July 1945)
Plants were exposed to gamma rays, protons, neutrons, alpha particles, and beta particles to see if these
would induce useful mutations
Chemicals such as sodium azide and ethyl methanesulphonate, were also used to cause mutations
In the 80 years of mutation breeding (1939-2021), a total of 3,218 varieties
obtained through mutation breeding
Pakistan Work in Mutation Breeding

Basmati 370 short height rice mutant
NIAB-78 cotton mutant (high yielding, heat tolerant, early maturing)
CM-72 chickpea mutant (created with 150Gy of gamma rays; high yielding,
blight resistant)
NM-28 mungbean mutant (short height, uniform and early maturing, high
seed yield)
NIAB Masoor 2006 lentil mutant (created with 200Gy of radiation; early
maturing, high yield, resistant to disease)
HYBRID SEED TECHNOLOGY
Hybrid seed technology is based upon the cross pollination of diversely related
two pure lines showing desire traits, produces the hybrid seed that show the
inferior traits then parents.
In hybrid seed technology, two pure lines with complementing traits and
are derived from diversely related parents are bred together by hand
F1 hybrids are tested for hybrid vigor in all agronomic and yield parameters
and compared to both parents
CHARACTERISTICS OF PARENTAL LINES
Female Parent Male Parent

High seed yield Good pollen production
Good seed characteristics Long shedding period
Male sterility Plant height
Basic procedures for hybrid seed production
Development and identification for parental lines
Multiplication of parental lines
Crossing between parental lines and production of F1
Commercial hybrid seed production demands crossing technique which is easy and also economic
to maintain parental lines. Only few crossing mechanisms have been adopted for commercial
hybrid seed production they are;
Hand emasculation and pollination
Self-incompatibility
Dicliny : monoecious and dioecious
Male sterility
LIMITATIONS OF CONVENTIONAL CROP IMPROVEMENT
In this methods of crop improvement hybrid varieties has had a tremendous
impact on agricultural productivity over the last decades
While an extremely important tool, conventional plant breeding also has its
limitations
Breeding can only be done between two plants that can sexually mate with
each other this limits the new traits that can be added to those that already
exist in that species
Plants are crossed, many traits are transferred along with the trait of interest
including traits with undesirable effects on yield potential
NON CONVENTIONAL CROP IMPROVEMENT
Non-conventional plant breeding Allows the direct transfer of one or just a few
genes, between either closely or distantly related organisms Crop
improvement can be achieved in a shorter time compared to conventional
Breeding Allows plants to be modified by removing or switching off particular
genes
Conventional plant breeding can no longer work because Increasing population

Decline in the agriculture resources such as land and water Decrease in the
yield
DIFFERENCE BTW CONVENTIONAL VS NON-CONVENTIONAL
TYPE OF NON-CONVENTIONAL CROP IMPROVEMENT
Following are types of approach for non-
conventional crop improvement:
Genetic engineering
Plant tissue culture
Micro propagation
Embryo culture
Pollen culture/Anther culture Ovary/Ovule
culture
Somaclonal variation
Marker assisted selection
Polyploidy Breeding
CONCEPT OF MODERN CROP IMPROVEMENT
LIST OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS
PROCDEURE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSGENIC PLANT

Lec# Crop Improvement Methods

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CROP IMPROVEMENT METHODS

The introduction of the genotypes from the place where it is grown to an

• Intercontinental plant introduction

• Intercontinental or Inter-countries plant introduction

• Interstate plant introduction

• Intrastate or Inter-district plant introduction

Plant material is introduced from the country of another continent e.g.,

Introduction of plant material from another state within the same

• Conventional plant breeding has been the

Mutation breeding, sometimes referred to as "variation breeding“.

Pakistan Work in Mutation Breeding

Female Parent Male Parent

Conventional plant breeding can no longer work because Increasing population

Plant tissue culture

Marker assisted selection

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