Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding

Section 2
General biological concepts
Chapter 2 The art and science of plant breeding
Chapter 3 Plant cellular organization and genetic structure: an overview
Chapter 4 Plant reproductive systems
This section introduces the student to the fundamental concepts and rationale of plant genetic manipulation. It
is instructive for the student to have an overview of the historical perspectives of plant genetic manipulation,
how it all began and how things have changed (or stayed the same) over time, hence the discussion of domestication,
evolution, and their relationship to plant breeding. Before attempting to genetically manipulate plants,
it is important to understand their fundamental biological and genetic structure. It is important to know the
natural tendencies of plants before attempting to modify their behaviors. Plant breeders seek to make
modifications in plants that are permanent and can be inherited from generation to generation. Modern technologies
allow plant breeders to manipulate plants at all levels of biological organization, from molecular, to
cellular, to whole-plant levels. The student needs to understand cellular structure as well as DNA structure. In
addition, the student should understand basic plant reproductive biology, for it is not only an avenue for
genetic manipulation of sexually reproducing plants, but also it is the means by which materials are increased for
release to producers.