BREEDING CROSS-

POLLINATED CROPS
 Cultivar Development in Cross-pollinated
Species
 Compared to self-pollinated species, cross-
pollinated species differ in their gene pool
structure, and in the extent of genetic
recombination

 Unselected populations typically consist of a

heterogeneous mixture of heterozygotes; as a result
of outcrossing, genes are re-shuffled in every
generation
The breeder focuses more on populations,
rather than individual plants, and on
quantitative analysis, rather than
qualitative traits

Progeny do not breed true, since the parent

plant is pollinated by another plant with a
different complement of alleles
Because progeny do not breed true in
cross-pollinated crops, the usual progeny
testing that would be employed in self-
pollinated material is much less
informative.

A more useful way to assess genetic

potential is to examine combining ability:

• General combining ability

• Specific combining ability
 Combining ability: the ability of an inbred
line to give characteristic performance in
hybrid combinations with other lines.

 The progenies are tested for performance

as populations and related back to
parental.

 More precision can be obtained by using a

homozygous inbred line as the pollen
donor (tester line).
General combining ability:
the average or overall performance of a line
in hybrid combinations (open pollinated);
represents additive genetic variance and
additive x additive epistasis

Specific combining ability:

the performance of a line as compared to
other lines when crossed with the same
pollen donor (specific pollen source);
represents non-additive genetic variance
 Recurrent selection

 Any breeding system designed to increase the

frequency of desired alleles for particular
quantitatively inherited characters by repeated
cycles of selection

 Identify superior genotypes for the trait under

selection.

 Inter-mate the superior genotypes and select

improved progeny.
 POPULATION STRUCTURES
 Self-pollinators
 mixture of homozygous lines
 a single homozygous line
 improve through cross, inbreed, select new superior homozygous line
 Cross-pollinators
 mixture of heterozygous plants (population)
 maintain through cross-pollination (OP)
 improve through selection of plants with desired genes, avoid too much
inbreeding
PROGENY TEST VS COMBINING
ABILITY TEST
 Self-pollinators
 evaluate pure line offspring (Measure agric. value)

 Cross-pollinators
 evaluate selfed offspring (if possible) No C.A.)
 evaluate test cross offspring (Measure combining ability)
 homozygous line tester (specific combining ability)
 heterogeneous population tester (general combining ability
 RECURRENT SELECTION
PRINCIPLE

1. Select best plants

2. Intercross selected
to form next generation

Phenotypic recurrent sel.

Mass selection
Genotypic recurrent sel.
Evaluate offspring
 MASS SELECTION
Very simple population improvement
Efficient only for high heritability traits
Population maintenance Remove off types First step in
breeding programs
 HALF-SIB SELECTION
1. season
Source population
Select good looking plants
and intercross
2. season
Plants in each offspring
have female parent in
common. They are
half-sibs Progeny test of selected
They reveal combining
plants in isolation
ability of selected plant

3. season
A is less A. Composite seed B. Composite remnant
efficient than from superior seed from plants with
B progenies superior progenies
 Source population
Superior plants selected

Half-sib
selection
with
testcross

Tester can
be more or
less
uniform

Composite open-pollinated Composite selfed

 Full sib selection Source population
based on Cross pairs of selected plants
pair crosses

Measures specific
combining ability
between selected
plants

Composite remnant cross seed

from combinations with superior progenies
 Source population
self-pollinate selected plants

Selection from
S1 progeny
offspring test

Only if selfing
is possible

Composite remnant selfed seed

from selected plants with superior progenies
 Formation of synthetic cultivars
Clones
Source population
Clone selected plants
The selected base
clones are kept Polycross selected
to form new Syn1 superior clones
seeds regularly
Polycross offspring evaluation

The cultivar is propagated

until Syn2-Syn5 to obtain
enough seed Clones with high
combining ability
With well combining clones
the synthetic can be more
uniform and vigorous than Intercross to Open pollinate
traditional OP cultivars form Syn1 to form syn2
BREEDING CLONALLY
PROPAGATED SPECIES
 Plants are highly heterozygous
 Often semi-sterile
 Often polyploids

 Two major breeding methods

 Spontaneous or induced mutations (sports)
 Hybridization (often between subspecies / species)
HYBRIDIZATION IN CLONALLY
PROPAGATED SPECIES
Clone A X Clone B

Potato Select best looking seedlings

Begonia
Orchids
Evaluate clones 1-2 seasons

Multiply and market superior clones