Question

Plant breeders tried to incorporate which of the following characteritics to develop present-day varieties of crops?

• A. Increased crop yield
• B. Improved quality
• C. Pest resistance
• D. All of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is D All of the above

The purposeful manipulation of plant species in order to create desired varieties of plants is called plant breeding. This has been practiced for thousands of years. Many crops that we consume today are the result of domestication of wild varieties. For example, the wheat variety grown in India today is derived from the wild variety of wheat.

Nowadays due to advancement in science and technology, plant breeding is now increasingly being carried out by using molecular genetic tools.

The desirable characteristics that the plant breeders try to incorporate in the crop plants are listed below:

• Improved yield and better quality
• Disease resistance
• Pest resistance
• Tolerant to environmental stresses

This has been successfully achieved and several high yielding varieties of wheat and rice are being developed that led to a tremendous increase in the food production in the mid-1960s. This period is often referred to as green revolution.