Key Notes on Genetics and Plant Breeding

Genetics is the study of genes, heredity, and genetic variation in living organisms while plant breeding is the art and science of changing the traits of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. The fundamental discoveries of Darwin and Mendel established the scientific basis for plant breeding and genetics at the turn of the 20th century. Trait inheritance and molecular inheritance mechanisms of genes are still a primary principle of genetics in the 21st century, but modern genetics has expanded beyond inheritance to studying the function and behavior of genes. The recent integration of advances in biotechnology, genomic research, and molecular marker applications with conventional plant breeding practices has created the foundation for molecular plant breeding. The present book entitled “Key notes on Genetics and Plant Breeding” has been designed to provide a simple umbrella for the multidisciplinary field of modern plant breeding that combines molecular tools and methodologies with conventional approaches for crop improvement. The topics mainly covered includes general genetics, genome organization of crop plants, cytogenetics of crop plants, reproduction and pollination methods, plant breeding methods, population and quantitative genetics principles, biometrical genetics, plant breeding for stress resistance and nutrional quality, genetic engineering and biotechnological tools in plant breeding, plant genetic resources and their regulatory system, seed- classes and certification, economic botany and medicinal plants and Statistical methods and field plot techniques. Hope this volume would be useful for graduate and post graduate students of Agriculture and Biology in all Indian Universities. This will also be useful for those appearing in Competitive examinations such as Agricultural Research Services of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Eligibility Test, Civil Services Examination and other allied examinations.