What is Crop variety improvement?
We have already seen that the first activity for improving crop yield is crop variety improvement and it deals with better quality of seeds.
One of the ways we can improve the quality of seeds is by Hybridisation. Hybridisation refers to crossing between genetically dissimilar plants. This crossing can be done in any of the three ways.
- Intervarietal crossing – Crossing between different
- Interspecific crossing – Crossing between two different species of the same
- Intergeneric crossing – Crossing between different
Modification of plant variety helps them to withstand adverse conditions like drought, floods and high salinity of the soil. Plants that are resistant to pests and diseases can transfer this strength to other plants.
But for new varieties of crops to be accepted, it is necessary that the variety produces high yields under different conditions that are found in different areas.
Which are the factors on which the growth of crops depend?
- Weather
- Soil
- Water
Which are the factors for which crop variety improvement is done?
There are a few factors. Let us look at them one by one.
- Higher yield: To increase the productivity of the
- Improved quality: The quality considerations of crop products vary from crop to crop. Baking quality is important in wheat, protein quality in pulses while oil quality in oilseeds and preserving quality in fruits and
- Biotic and abiotic resistance: Crops production can go down due to biotic stresses like diseases, insects and nematodes and abiotic stresses like drought, salinity, waterlogging, heat, cold and frost under different situations. Varieties resistant to these stresses can improve crop
- Change in maturity duration: The shorter the duration of the crop from sowing to harvesting, the more economical is the Such short durations allow farmers to grow multiple rounds of crops in a year. Uniform maturity makes the harvesting process easy and reduces losses during harvesting.
- Wider adaptability: Developing varieties for wider adaptability will help in stabilising the crop production under different environmental conditions. Thus, one variety can then be grown under different climatic conditions in different
- Desirable agronomic characteristics: Tallness and profuse branching are desirable characters for fodder crops. Dwarfness is desired in cereals so that less nutrients are consumed by these Thus, developing varieties of desired agronomic characters help give higher productivity.