Question

What does the variety improvement of crops aim at?

Answer 1

Aim of variety Improvement of crops is for
(a) Higher Yield : To develop high yielding varieties so as increase the productivity of crop per acre.
(b) Improved Quality : With changes in lifestyles of people, there is an increased demand for better quality. Quality considerations vary from crop to crop like baking quality in wheat, protein quality in pulses, oil quality in oil crops and preserving quality of fruit and vegetables.
(c) Biotic and Abiotic Resistance : Crop yields decrease due to biotic and abiotic stresses under different situations. Varieties resistant to these stresses are needed to improve crop production.
(d) Change in Maturity Duration : Shorter duration of the crop from sowing to harvesting makes the variety more economical.
(e) Wider Adaptability : Varieties capable of growing successfully under different environmental conditions to help in stabilising the crop production at places having different environment.
(f) Desirable Agronomic Characteristics : Developing varieties of desired agronomic characters helps in giving higher productivity.