During the initial days, the plant breeders were totally blind to the science that is working behind the plants to keep them alive and functional. To actually understand what traits the shrub is carrying from one generation to the other, they had to grow the plant and wait to see the results.
But, with the benefit of modern science in today’s times, plant development has taken a new turn. Today, it is possible for the breeders to actually see inside the plant with a technique called ‘marker assisted breeding’. This way, the scientists can check the DNA of seeds to find which ones will produce the best breeds of the seedlings. The first step is the identification of the genetic markers and they are liked to essential traits like disease resistance, drought tolerance, yield, taste, nutrition etc. The indicators are then used as a test to go through all the plants that are presented for breeding and precisely select and breed only the seeds that are made-up to produce the desirable characteristics.
There are a variety of breeding techniques that are in use these days. With a tremendous increase in the world population and subsequent increase in the demand of the vegetation based raw materials for food and other industrial purposes, an entirely new branch of breeding evolved. Plant breeders made new varieties based on crossing and selecting the desired, valuable traits that improve the results of the shrubs. With an increased and a more professional use of the fertilisers and other crop protection innovations, it has led to an outstanding increase in agriculture and hence, the global food security. This has contributed to an increased social stability and a societal development.
New plant marketing methodologies has led to develop more ways of creating desirable traits in plants and also the protection of new plant patents. This process is not only expected to offer an increased productivity or nutritional and health values, but also expected to offer environmental benefits like eco friendliness, nature protection, preservation of natural resources, and also public health.
The combined study of biology, physiology, genetics, chemistry and environmental sciences will continue to provide the best in terms of plant breeding and yield many benefits for the society in terms of natural and healthy products. According to a research, it has been proven that with a constant development in the field of sciences and technology, the breeding innovations and techniques are sure to flourish and we shall keep on reaping the healthy benefits.
