Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding

30 CHAPTER 2
identify the most promising one for release as a commercial
cultivar.
Certification and cultivar release
Before a cultivar is released, it is processed through a
series of steps, called the seed certification process, to
increase the experimental seed, and to obtain approval
for release from the designated crop certifying agency in
the state or country. These steps in plant breeding are
discussed in detail in this book.
Qualifications of a plant breeder
Some plant breeding can be undertaken by farmers with
little education, lots of intuition, and keen observation.
As previously discussed, early domesticators observed
and selected plants, saving seed from the current season
for planting the next season’s crop. Modern commercial
plant breeding is more technical and science-based,
requiring the breeder to have some formal training to be
successful.
Plant breeders, as previously discussed, are involved in
genetically manipulating plants to accomplish a predetermined
objective. Furthermore, it was previously
indicated that plant breeding is an art and a science.
Consequently, the breeder should have knowledge in
certain scientific disciplines in order to be able to conduct
modern plant breeding. The key disciplines, as
previously discussed, includes genetics, biochemistry,
botany, pathology, physiology, agronomy, statistics,
biotechnology, and computer science. Whereas it is not
critical to master all these disciplines to be successful, a
breeder needs, at least, to have a strong background in
plant genetics and the principles of plant breeding.
Breeding is about causing a heritable change to occur
in a desired direction. Consequently, a breeder should
understand the principles and concepts of heredity (or
transmission genetics). To be able to use some of the
modern sophisticated technologies, the breeder should
understand molecular genetics and other techniques of
biotechnology such as tissue culture. Basic and pertinent
genetic principles and concepts are discussed in this
book to facilitate the understanding of breeding principles.
Biotechnological applications in plant breeding
are also discussed.
It should be pointed out that a breeder may take
advantage of workshops and short courses offered by
national institutes (e.g., National Institute of Health in
the USA) and universities, to acquire the new skills
necessary to use new techniques in a breeding project.
Collaborating with experts in the use of certain techniques
is also a way classically trained plant breeders may
pursue to accomplish a breeding objective that requires
the use of molecular techniques. It is also possible to
contract or outsource a technical part of an unconventional
breeding project to competent service providers.
The other issue that needs to be addressed is the level
of qualification required to be a successful plant breeder.
As stated in the preface, this book is designed for upper
undergraduate to early graduate students. A firm grasp
of the genetics and plant breeding concepts discussed
should adequately equip the student to conduct plant
breeding upon graduation. Having said that, graduate
studies in plant breeding provide opportunities for
acquiring advanced knowledge in genetics and research
methodologies. Usually, the undergraduate course in
plant breeding offers limited opportunities for research
and hands-on exposure (especially in the conventional
methods of plant breeding). Further, leaders of plant
breeding programs in both the public and private sectors
usually have advanced degrees, preferably, a PhD.
However, BS or MS degree holders are also employed in
the breeding industry.
The plant breeding industry
Commercial plant breeding is undertaken in both the
private and public sectors. Breeding in the private sector
is primarily for profit. It should be pointed out these
companies operate under the umbrella of giant multinational
corporations such as Monsanto, Pioneer/Dupont,
Novartis/Syngenta, and Advanta Seed Group, through
mergers and acquisitions (see Chapter 24). Products
from private seed companies are proprietary.
Private sector plant breeding
Four factors are deemed by experts to be critical in
determining the trends in investment in plant breeding
by the private sector.
Cost of research innovation
Modern plant breeding technologies are generally
expensive to acquire and use. Consequently, the cost of
research and development of new cultivars by these
technologies are exorbitant. However, some of these
innovations result in increased product quality and
yield, and sometimes facilitate the production of the