Breeding for Crop Improvement

Science of crop improvement plays important role in improving crop plants in relation to their economic use for mankind. Crop improvement can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular techniques. Conscious efforts to improve crops for traits of interest to human kind date back to the initiation of settled agriculture. Crop improvement is both science and art, since it involves the theoretical knowledge on understanding of inheritance pattern of traits, selection and hybridization principles and practical experience to impart lot of skills involved in selfing, emasculation, crossing and selection of suitable breeding method for crop improvement. International development agencies believe that breeding new crops is important for ensuring food security by developing new varieties that are higher-yielding, resistant to pests and diseases, drought-resistant or regionally adapted to different environments and growing conditions. Modern plant breeding is the science of improving plants to achieve these needs and better fit production environments, but is a long-term proposition. Keeping in view of these aspects, this book entitled "Breeding for crop improvement" has been designed to provide a simple umbrella for understanding wild relatives, floral biology, anthesis and pollination, breeding objectives and breeding methods of different crop plants for successful crop improvement.