Applications of Plant Breeding | Agriculture Optional Notes for UPSC PDF Download

Introduction

Plant breeding is a method aimed at enhancing various aspects of plants to achieve more favorable outcomes in crop production. This process involves making alterations to plants in order to improve their nutritional content, resistance to diseases, adaptability to temperature variations, tolerance to soil salinity, and even their aesthetic qualities. A key objective in plant breeding is to elevate the food safety standards of these plants.

Application of Plant Breeding

Increase in the Yield

One of the primary objectives of employing specialized techniques like hybridization in plant breeding is to increase crop yields significantly. This represents a remarkable application of plant breeding because it offers substantial benefits through the cultivation of specially engineered crops.

For instance, consider the case of sugarcane production. In India, the indigenous sugarcane variety, known as Saccharum Barberi, is relatively thin and contains a limited amount of sugar. Growing such sugarcane for commercial purposes would not be economically viable for farmers. The reason for this is that cultivating lower-quality sugarcane requires the same amount of time and effort. To address this issue, scientists devised a strategy to create hybrids by crossbreeding the specialized South Indian sugarcane, referred to as Sacrum Orifice, in order to develop thicker sugarcane with a higher carbohydrate content.

Boost in the Nutritional Value

Enhancing the nutritional content of plants can often be an expensive endeavor. However, plant breeding provides a cost-effective approach to augmenting the nutritional value in the crops people consume.

As advancements in science and technology have progressed, various crops have been cultivated using specialized plant breeding methods. Golden rice is a prime example of a product of plant breeding, engineered to be rich in vitamins and possessing reduced carbohydrate content, thereby enhancing its nutrient profile.

Improvement in Aesthetics

"Aesthetics" refers to the concept of beauty, and numerous plants are renowned for their beauty. Hybrid flowers and plants are often chosen for decorative purposes, and in order to boost their market appeal, it's essential for these flowers to possess an attractive appearance.

Many large businesses target specific plants, and to enhance the visual and olfactory appeal of these plants, a specialized plant breeding technique is employed. This technique is aimed at increasing the sales of flowers by making them more appealing to a broader customer base.

Application of Mutation Breeding

To grasp the practical use of Mutation Breeding in improving plant products, it's essential to comprehend the concept of mutation. A mutation involves a change in the genetic makeup of a species, either occurring accidentally or being intentionally induced, as is the case in plant breeding.

When these mutations are applied to a plant, they can impact the plant's chromosomal structure, leading to the emergence of specific characteristics and traits. The application of mutation breeding is a delicate process, involving subtle alterations. If any of these manipulations go awry, it can result in the entire crop's destruction. Conversely, uncontrolled mutations might cause the crop to develop uncertain and undesirable traits that could jeopardize the plant's fundamental genetic makeup.

Nonetheless, the utilization of mutation breeding has proven highly effective, particularly in advancing cereals and rice. There are even specialized dwarf plants developed to reduce the growing period.

Role of Biotechnology in Plant Breeding

Biotechnology plays a paramount role in the field of plant breeding, employing diverse techniques for genetic manipulation to enhance and develop superior plant species. In contemporary practices, specialized methods like vectors and pathogens are utilized to introduce genetic material into the host cell.
Several primary techniques in plant breeding include:

• Selection: This method involves growing progeny rows from genetically distinct plants for observation. The performance and yield are then compared to those of other commercial plants.
• Hybridization: It employs a cross-pollination approach to combine desired traits from different plants.
• Polyploidy: This technique involves the use of chemicals to increase the chromosome counts in plants.
• Induced mutation: Radiations or chemicals are applied to induce mutations in plants.

Advanced biotechnology procedures enable the insertion of essential minerals and specific components into the desired plant through sophisticated biological methods. All of these methods fall within the domain of microbiology, and when employed effectively, offer a high likelihood of obtaining the desired plant with minimal loss of its natural properties.

Environmental Stress

The most significant challenge to your crop cultivation is environmental stress. This is where the primary utility of plant breeding applications becomes evident. By strategically controlling the breeding of plants, it's possible to enhance their ability to withstand environmental stress. This implies that the plant won't be as reliant on specific water quantities or soil salinity levels. Remarkably, researchers have even succeeded in enabling plants to thrive without sunlight. Therefore, addressing environmental stress stands out as the most valuable application of plant breeding.

Conclusion

Enumerating the applications of plant breeding could be a substantial task, and it's challenging to encompass them all in a single piece of writing. Nevertheless, we've discussed its contributions in terms of improving crop yields, enhancing nutritional content, and facilitating commercial purposes. The realm of plant breeding is vast, and we trust that you've gained fresh insights into its various applications.