Definition:- “Plant breeding can be defined as an art, a science, and technology of improving the genetic make up of plants in relation to their economic use for the man kind.”
“Plant breeding is the art and science of improving the heredity of plants for the benefit of mankind."
“Plant breeding deals with the genetic improvement of crop plants also known as science of crop improvement.”
* Plant Breeding is a science and art both.
HISTORY OF PLANT BREEDING
In broad sense history of Plant Breeding can be divided into four parts:-
1. Pre Mendelian Era:- Before 1900
2. Mendelian Era:- 1900 to 1920
3. Post Mendelian Era:- 1921 to 1950
4. Modern Era:- After 1950.
1. Pre Mendelian Era
9000 B.C. First evidence of plant domestication in the hills above the Tigris river.
3000 B.C. Domestication of all important food crops in the Old World.
1000 B.C. Domestication of all important food crops in the New World.
700 B.C Babylonians and Assyrians hand pollinated date palm artificially.
1665: Robert Hooke (England) First described the cell and known as Father of cell biology.
1694: Camerarius of Germany first to demonstrate sex in plants and suggested crossing as a method to obtain new plants.
1717: Thomas Fairchild developed first Inter specific hybrid between Sweet William and carnation Species popularly known as ‘Fairchild’s Mule’
1727: The first plant breeding company was established in Germany by Vilmorins.
1753: Caralous Linnaeus published his book ‘Species planetarium’ including binomial nomenclature of plant taxonomy.
1766: Joseph Koelreuter (Germany) demonstrated that hybrid progeny gets traits from its both parents and he produced scientific hybrid of tobacco.
1800-35: Knight T.A. first used the Artificial Hybridization in Fruit crops.
1819: Shirreff utilized pure line selection to develop new oat cultivar.
1840: John Le Couter developed the concept of progeny test and individual plamnt selection in cereals.
1856: De vilmorin ( French) further elaborated the concept of progeny test and used in sugarbeet.
1859-1889: Darwin published ‘Origin of Species’.
1866: G.J. Mendel (Austria) published his discoveries in ‘Experiments in Plant Hybridization’ and given the laws of inheritance in garden Pea.
1890: Rimapau (Sweden) firstly made inheritance cross between Triticum aestivum and Secale cereale, producing Triticale.
2. Mendelian Era
1900: De Varies (Holland), Correns (Germany), Tschermark (Austria) rediscovered Mendel’s law of inheritance independently.
1900: Nilson (Swedish) Introduced individual plant selection method in Sweden.
1903: Johanson proposed the pureline theory and also coined the terms Genotype, Phenotype and Pureline.
1908: C.B. Devenport firstly proposed dominance hypothesis of heterosis.
1908: G.H. Shull, E.M. East proposed over dominance hypothesis in Maize.
1909: Nilson Ehle given the explanation of multiple factors hypothesis for grain color by using Pedigree and Bulk breeding.
1914: G.H. Shull firstly used the term heterosis for Hybrid Vigour.
1917: Jones developed first hybrid maize and proposed dominance of linked gene hypothesis.
1919: Hays, H.K. Garber , R.J. gave initial idea about recurrent selection. They first suggested use of synthetic varieties for commercial cultivation in maize.
3. Post Mendelian Era
1923: Sax proposed linkage between quantitative and qualitative traits.
1926: E.M. East and A.J. Mangelsdorf firstly discovered gametophytic incompatibility in Nicotiana sanderae.
1926: N.I. Vavilov identified 8 main centers and 3 sub centers of crop diversity.
1927: Muller produced mutation in flies using X-rays.
1927: Karpencheko developed first intergeneric hybrid between Radish and Cabbage in Russia.
1928: L.J. Studler firstly used X-rays for induce mutation in Barley.
1933: Rhoades discovered Cytoplasmic male Sterility (CMS) in maize.
1934: Dustin discovered colchicine.
1935: Vavilov published the scientific basis of plant breeding.
1935: Nagahem proposed the origin of tetraploid species of brassica using triangle.
1939: C.H. Goulden firstly suggested the use of single seed descent method.
1940: M.T. Jenkins described the method of Recurrent selection.
1944: Avery, MacLeod and McCarty described the transforming principle and suggested that DNA , is not a protein, is the hereditary material.
1945: F.H. Hull coined the terms of recurrent selection and over-dominance in the maize.
1950: Hughes and Babcock firstly discovered sporophytic self incompatibility in Crepis foetida.
4. Modern era
1952: N.F. Jensen firstly suggested use of multilines in oat.
1953: N.E. Borlaug firstly used the method of multilines in Wheat.
1953: Watson, Crick and Wikins proposed a model for Double helical structure of DNA.
1956: Flor proposed gene for gene hypothesis.
1964: N.E. Borlaug developed high yielding semi dwarf varities of Wheat.
1965: J.E. Graphius firstly applied Single Seed Descent (SSD) method in oats.
1968: Donald developed the concept of crop ideotype in Wheat.
1970: C.T. Patel (INDIA) developed world’s first hybrid cotton for commercial cultivation in India.
1970: N.E. Borlaug received the Nobel for the green revolution.
1970: Berg, Cohen and Boyer introduced the Recombinant DNA technology.
1976: Yuan Long Ping et al. (China) developed world’s first hybrid rice V for commercial cultivation in China.
1983: Fraley et al. developed the first transgenic (Genetically Engineered) tobacco in USA.
1987: Monsanto developed world’s first transgenic cotton plant in USA.
1991: ICRISAT developed world’s first pigeon pea hybrid (ICPH 8) (GMS based) for commercial cultivation in India.
1994: FlavrSavr tomato developed as first genetically modified food by Calgene Company of California.
1995: Bt. corn developed
1996: Glyphosate resistant crop Soyabean introduced.
1997: Monsanto (USA) firstly developed terminator gene (It allows germination of seed for one generation only).
1998: Monsanto identified traitor gene which responds to specific brands of fertilizers and insecticides.
2002: Mahyco-Monsanto: released three Bt. Hybrids (MECH12, MECH16, MECH184)
2005: Govt. of India approved cultivation of some Bt. Cotton hybrids in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
History of plant breeding in India
1871: The Government of India created the Department of Agriculture.
1905: The Imperial Agricultural Research Institute was establish in Pusa, Bihar.
1934: The buildings of the institute damaged in earthquake.
1936: Shifted to New Delhi.
1946: Name was changed Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
1901-05: Agricultural Colleges were established at Kanpur, Pune, Sabour, Lalyalpur, Coimbatore.
1929: Imperial council of Agricultural Research was established.
1946: Name was change to Indian Council Agricultural Research.
1921: Indian Central Cotton Committee was established.
Notable researches on breeding and cultivation of cotton. Eg : 70 improved varieties of cotton.
1956: Project for intensification of regional research on cotton, oilseeds and millets (PIRRCOM) was initiated to intensify research on these crops – located at 17 different centres through out the country.
1957: All India Coordinated maize improvement project was started with objective of exploiting heterosis.
The first hybrid maize varieties released by the project ICAR initiated coordinated projects for improvement of the other crops.
1960: First Agricultural University established at Pantnagar, Nainital, U.P.
Some Indian Plant Breeders
1) T.S. Venkatraman - An eminent sugarcane breeder, he transferred thick stem and high sugar contents from tropical noble cane to North Indian Canes. This process is known as nobleization of sugarcane.
2) B.P. Pal - An eminent Wheat breeder, developed superior disease resistant N.P. varieties of wheat.
3) M.S. Swaminathan - Responsible for green revolution in India, developed high yielding varieties of Wheat and Rice.
4) Pushkarnath - Famous potato breeder.
5) N.G.P. Rao - An eminent sorghum breeder.
6) Ram Dhan Singh - Famous wheat breeder.
7) D.S. Athwal - Famous pearlmillet breeder.
8) Bosisen - An eminent maize breeder.
9) Dharampal Singh - An eminent oil-seed breeder.
10) C.T. Patel - Famous cotton breeder who developed world’s first cotton hybrid in 1970.
11) V. Santhanam - Famous cotton breeder.
Objectives of Plant Breeding
1. Higher Yield:- The ultimate aim of plant breeding is to improve the yield of economic produce. It may be grain yield, fodder yield, fibre yield, tuber yield, cane yield or oil yield depending upon the crop species.
2. Improve Quality:- Quality of produce is another important objective in plant breeding. The quality characters vary from crops. Eg. grain size, colour, milling and backing quality in wheat. Cooking quality in rice, malting quality in barley, size, colour and size of fruits, nutritive and keeping quality in vegetables, protein content in pulses, oil content in oilseeds, fibre length, strength and fineness in cotton.
3. Change in maturity Duration:- Earliness is the most desirable character which has several advantages. It requires less crop management period, less insecticidal sprays, permits new crop rotations and often extends the crop area. Development of wheat varieties suitable for late planting has permitted rice-wheat rotation.
4. Biotic Resistance(Insect-Pest Resistance):- Crop plants are attacked by various diseases and insects, resulting in considerable yield losses. Genetic resistance is the cheapest and the best method of minimizing such losses. Resistant varieties are developed through the use of resistant donor parents available in the gene pool.
5. Abiotic Resistance:- Crop plants also suffer from abiotic factors such as drought, soil salinity, extreme temperatures, heat, wind, cold and frost, breeder has to develop resistant varieties for such environmental conditions plants.
6. Elimination of Toxic Substances:- It is essential to develop varieties free from toxic compounds in some crops to make them safe for human consumption. For example, removal of neurotoxin in Khesari.
7. Synchronous Maturity:- It refers to maturity of a crop species at one time. The character is highly desirable in crops like Greengram, Cowpea, and Cotton where several pickings are required for crop harvest.
8. Non-shattering Characters:- The shattering of pods is serious problem in green gram. Hence resistance to shattering is an important objective in green gram.
9. Varieties for New Seasons:- Varieties for New Seasons: Traditionally Maize is a kharif crop. But scientists are now able to grow Maize as rabi and zaid crops. Similarly, mung is grown as a summer crop in addition to the main kharif crop.
10. Water Adaptability:- Adaptability is an important objective in plant breeding because it helps in stabilizing the crop production over regions and seasons.
11. Photo and Temperature Sensitivity:- Photo and Thermo insensitivity: Development of varieties insensitive to light and temperature helps in crossing the cultivation boundaries of crop
Written by
Vikas Kashyap
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Very nice content
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