LECTURE ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY Norberto R.

Bautista February 3, 2023

TRADITIONAL BREEDING
Traditional Breeding is a method of creating changes in the phenotype or physical appearance
of animals and plants by choosing the male and female parents with desirable characteristics,
breeding them and producing offspring. Among the offspring, individuals which possess the
desired characteristics or appearance, are selected and are further used in future breeding
activities. Traditional Breeding is very useful in creating hybrids in farm animals like swine,
chickens, cattle, rabbits, and in growing pets like dogs, cats, lovebirds, or goldfishes among
others. In plants, traditional breeding is extensively used in growing hybrid rice, corn, peanuts,
flowering plants (e.g. hibiscus, orchids, roses), fruit trees, and others.
Here are some of the steps in traditional breeding:
1. Familiarize yourself with the Breeding procedure:
One who engages in traditional breeding should know theoretical genetics (the effect of genes
to the physical appearance of plants and animals. Usually, a breeder follows the idea of
"collect, select & then breed!" Seriously speaking, a breeder needs to posses all the plants or
animals that has the desirable traits that he wants (e.g. in breeding rice plants, he should have a
lot of different rice varieties from different locations of the Philippines or neighboring
countries, so he has the germplasm to use for breeding purposes.
P = G + E + (G x E)
Where P = Phenotype (Physical appearance);
G = Genotype / DNA
E = Environment
The physical appearance of an organism is affected by its genes, the environment where it
grows, and the interaction of its genes with the environment. Some traits (e.g. leaf color, plant
height, or vigor) can be controlled by a single gene, while others are controlled by multiple of
genes. As a breeder, one has to know the plant’s or animal’s genes and how it affects the
organism. Also knowledge of the interaction of the genes with each other will help predict
outcomes in the breeding program.

2. Know your plant, animal or microbe materials.

As a breeder, one has to master or be familiar with the plant, animal or microbe you are
working on, how they breed, their life cycle, how they reproduce, how to grow or raise them, or
if they are dangerous or poisonous, and how to handle them. This information will help the

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breeder understand the animal or plant, and how to successfully reproduce and select the right
individuals for parents.
3. Collect all species, variants and mutations which you will use as parents. (Identify your
logistics and area where you will keep them for the time being (farm, nursery, cages,
enclosures). – This will be your germplasm collection. You have to take care of the animals or
plants by providing them shelter, food, nourishment if it is an animals; and for plants, you grow
them in a pot or in a farm, water them, fertilize, and cultivate.
* Know their genotype n phenotype both for good n bad traits.
* classify their breeding cycle, behavior and details, sexual receptivity and what to look for in
the presence of their desirable traits. Chosen plants or animals with desirable traits are
selected and used for future breeding programs; while those which does not possess desirable
traits are either culled, or sold as food.
4. Conduct Breeding procedures. Proper handling of the animals / plants are done, then
labelling of the parents (male and female) with good characteristics (e.g. red flower, rounded
thick petals, flowers with scents). Record keeping is very important to document all activities.
A history of the breeding process may be done, thus a log book is very useful in recording
records.
Examples of Good Traits in Plants:
- pest / disease resistance
- larger seeds
- bigger, much fleshier fruits
- good taste/ sweeter
- higher nutritional value
- higher yield
- vigor, healthiness, persistence
- adaptation to environmental stress --> salty water, drought, flooding, wind, frost etc.
- ease of harvesting
- creation of seedless varieties (triploid)
- larger / colorful flowers
- special pigmentation
- other useful traits

Bad traits in plants:

- fruit drop, fruit abortion
- Small fruits; fruits with bland taste, pale-colored.
- weak plant / albinism (but some plants like in orchids or snakes, albinism is a good trait)

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- plants with high allergens / calcium oxalate or poisons (can be poisonous to eat)

Good traits in animals

- docile / tame / no wild attitudes. No anger issues
- desired size - small, medium , large
- meaty-ness (food animals)
- fast growing/early maturing
- long life
- acceptable body cover. Right length, manageable, attractive
- beautiful / colorful / fur with good interesting prominent markings
-easy to domesticate n train
- resistant to disease n parasites;

Bad traits in animals:

Weak bones /legs easily broken (e.g. large dogs)
unattractive body hair or no hair (some cats are collected due to baldness)
Violent behavior / attacks children / bites the hand of food handler
Susceptible to disease/pest

LABORATORY EXERCISE 1 (Posted in our Google Classroom AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY)

1. Choose a species or variety (which is familiar / your favorite / or challenging to you) of
plants and animals with established breeding methodology. -- It can be a mammal (e.g.
dog, cat, mice, horses,), birds, fishes, or a plant (e.g. rice, corn, orchids, flowering plants,
or houseplant).

2. Identify and List down common physical traits of the species, behavior, its importance in
society and why it is bred by man. Also include the time span involved in creating such
breeding activities.

3. List down all desirable and negative traits that the animal or plant, which have been used
by breeding in selecting the parents.

4. Research and list down the techniques the breeders use in breeding this species and in
creating offspring. List down good and fine points. Give some points on how the animal
or plant is grown , cultured or domesticated.

5. Show some pictures of the breeds or hybrids that modern breeders have produced for
that particular species or genus.

6. Give your personal reaction or comments on how humans use this particular species in
everyday life or how it is important in human society. Give some points that can be

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further improved or problems they encountered in breeding. Also include some lessons
learned in this field of topic (breeding) .

Please include your references or website addresses.