Plant breeding to plant development; evolution of a plant

Every plant has been bred and developed because of an interesting happenstance. You may have chanced upon a new discovery or you may have worked diligently alongside a professional plant breeder to discover a new variety; whatever the situation it is the plant breeder who decides on the purpose of the development of this new variety. Plant development is normally required to ensure that the plant is unique and uniform. This involves taking the plant from the embryo stage to the adult stage; which means to check forming of flowers, seeds and fruits of the plant. From a nascent stage the plant is then developed to a fully grown plant wherein the plant breeder takes responsibility for the same. They also consistently monitor the plants’ responsiveness to the environment.

There are two methods of plant development that a breeder can opt for:

1. Sexual Method

This method involves contribution of both male and female sexes of the plant to create new plants. This process is entirely natural and the parental breed develops off springs that are entirely different from it. The breeder begins this process by flowering and then the next step is pollination followed by fertilization and then formation of the seed. The seeds thus sown, give birth to a new plant. This is the simplest, easiest and most economical process for plant development. However, there are certain species that can be developed only through the sexual method.

2. Asexual Method

The other name for this method is also termed as vegetative method. This means that plant development happens with the vegetative parts of the parent plant species. These parts consists of; stems, roots, bulbs, leaves etc. The new plant that is born is formed through the genetic code of a single parent. The result of this process is plants that are similar to the parent plant. Layering, budding, cutting etc. are various asexual methods. Crops that do not grow through seeds are perfect for asexual method of plant development.

Each of the methods has their set of advantages and disadvantages. Plant development is a necessary practice as it’s important for the constant evolution of plants. The entire program is designed to consistently find new plant species and to also understand the various influences that nature has on the entire process of plant development. In the whole course of development, it is necessary to know the kind of reproduction method that your plant will follow. Any expert in the UK will have the skills to guide you about the sexual and asexual development methods for plants. The key is to learn and listen to your horticulturalist. Thus, doing so will help you gain a thorough understanding of the entire process so you can comfortably work alongside them.