Essentials of Plant Breeding and Genetics

Plant breeding is a method of changing the traits of a plant for producing certain characteristics such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, higher adaptability and improved yield. It is achieved with the aid of different techniques. Plants with desirable characteristics may be selectively propagated, or cultivated using complex molecular techniques. Modern plant breeding uses an understanding of plant genetics for improving crop production. It covers the principles of systematics, molecular biology, pathology, cytology, physiology, etc. Tools such as DNA fingerprinting and molecular markers can help in mapping of plant genes. This helps in identification of the location and function of various genes within a genome. A plant can be genetically modified by adding a certain gene or a set of genes, or by deleting a gene. Such plants may be called transgenic. This book provides comprehensive insights into the field of plant genetics. It discusses the fundamentals as well as modern approaches of plant breeding. This book is appropriate for students seeking detailed information in these areas as well as for experts.