Question

How is artificial pollination useful to plant breeders?

Answer 1

Artificial pollination:

1. It is a technique in which the process of cross pollination is done manually.
2. Human beings perform this technique when natural pollination is not required.
3. In this technique, the anthers from a bisexual flower on a plant is removed to make that flower the female flower.
4. Then the pollen grains are collected from the choice of a flower from another plant (which is considered to be a male flower) and dusted on the stigma of the female flower.
5. Then the fertilization occurs.

Plant breeders:

1. They are the people who try to improve the crop quality and the crop yield by using various breeding (mating and production of new plants) techniques.

Usefulness of artificial pollination to plant breeders:

1. Plant breeders use artificial pollination to produce new crop varieties.
2. Plant breeders by performing artificial pollination can introduce some desired characters in the new plant.
3. This they do by selecting parent plants with the desirable characters.
4. Example: They can cross pollinate a plant which has disease resistant property with a plant which has high yielding property to produce a new plant with both the properties thus making this plant superior in quality.