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Article: Breeder
- Article from:
- Plant Sciences
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Breeder
Plant breeding is the art and science of improving plant characteristics through the process of sexual reproduction. The goal of a plant breeder is to transfer genes from one plant to another and to select offspring that
have superior growth, yield, pest and disease resistance, or some other desirable trait.
To achieve this goal the breeder often begins the breeding process using primitive or wild forms of a particular plant species. Through a process of repeated sexual crossing and selection of improved forms, the breeder gradually reaches the goal. Often the hybridization process is lengthy, requiring time for the seed to grow into a mature flowering plant, which can then be ...