Question

Methods of breeding for disease resistance include

• A. Conventional breeding methods like hybridisation and selection
• B. Inducing mutations and then screening for resistance
• C. Selection among somaclonal variants and genetic engineering
• D. All of these

Answer 1

The correct option is D All of these

Conventional breeding methods like hybridisation and selection among various crop varieties and wild relatives is one of the methods for breeding crops. The constraint in this method is the limited number of disease resistance genes. Mutation can be induced in the plants to create the desired genetic variation resulting in the formation of a new characteristic that imparts disease resistance, not found elsewhere. Other methods like selection among somaclonal variants and genetic engineering are also useful in developing disease resistant varieties.