Glossary Plant Breeding

Family-Line Breeding. Also called mother-line breeding; a method of breeding utilized
to develop Cercospora resistant varieties in sugar beet. It is similar to half-sib
selection procedure or an ear-to-row method of breeding corn. In this method,
superior mother beets are identified from progeny performance. Remnants seeds from
mother beets with superior progeny performance may be bulked to begin a seed
increase. Alternatively, roots from superior progenies may be harvested and bulked to
start a seed increase. The seed increase may be utilized as a new variety or it may be
used as the source population to start the next selection cycle.
Family Selection. A breeding technique of selecting a pair on the basis of the average
performance of their progeny.
Farmers’ Right. A legal right that entitles farmers to save, use, sow, resow, exchange,
share or sell their farm produce including seed of a variety protected under IPRs.
However, farmers are not entitled to sell branded seed of the variety protected under
the law. Farmers’ exemption in terms of farmers’ right has been done owing to the
past, present and future contributions of farmers in conserving, improving and making
available plant genetic resources (PGRs), particularly those in the centres of
origin/diversity. FAO Commission recognized PBRs and Farmers’ rights in 1989 to
support developing countries to build their capabilities and required infrastructures
especially gene banks for conserving available genetic resources.
Fatty Acids. Organic acids having large hydrocarbon chains with the general formula
CH 3 -(CH 2 ) n -COOH. Fatty acids have always an even number of carbons because they
are synthesized by joining two-carbon acetyl units, e.g., palmitic acid (16 carbons),
stearic acid (18 carbons). Sometimes, hydrocarbons have double bonds (-C=C-), and
in such cases, the fatty acid is said to be unsaturated (e.g., oleic acid). Unsaturated
fatty acids are desirable because the double bonds present in them increase the
flexibility of the hydrocarbon chain, and thereby fluidity of biological membranes.
Fatuoid. A mutant commonly occurring in cultivated oats, and which resembles wild oats
(Avena fatua).
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