English Description: This course introduces the fundamental concepts of plant breeding and plant adaptation that are applicable to agricultural and natural systems. The topics covered include: germplasm conservation; breeding methodologies for self or cross pollinated plants; strategies for setting breeding objectives and maximising selection and improvement of key traits; introduction to molecular breeding.

Course description:

1. Origin of cultivated plants. The genetic basis of crop plant evolution. Crop plant reproduction. Germplasm introduction and conservation.

2.   Breeding self-pollinated crops. Pure line breeding. The pedigree method. Single seed descent. Back crossing. Multiline varieties. Mass populations.

3.  Breeding cross pollinated crops. Hybrids. Producing hybrids through incompatibility, male sterility and the sex mechanism. Synthetic varieties. Recurrent selection for one or two populations. Artificial polyploidization. Mutation breeding.

4.   Genetic engineering and applications in plant breeding. Haploid breeding, wide crosses. Marker assisted breeding. Tissue culture.

5. Variety maintenance and multiplication.

 Teaching aids: "Plant Breeding: Principles and Methods" by P. J. Kaltsikes, “Plant Breeding” by D.G. Roupakias

Examination: Written