question_answer 46)

  List out some useful traits in improved crop.

Answer:

  Some of the useful traits in improved crop are (i) Higher yield The main aim of crop improvement is to improve the productivity of the crop e.g., grain, vegetables and fodder. (ii) Improved quality Quality considerations of crop products varies from crop to crop, e.g., baking quality in wheat, protein quality in pulses, oil quality in oil seeds and preserving quality of fruits and vegetables. (iii) Biotic and abiotic resistance Under varied situations crop surtei's clue different stresses, biotic stresses (such as diseases, insects and nematodes) or abiotic stresses (such as drought, salinity, water logging, heat, cold and frost). Crop varieties should be resistant to these stresses, to significantly improve the crop production, e.g., MUW 318 is a HYV (high yielding variety) of wheat which is released for cultivation in non-tradional areas as Nilgiri and Palini hills and resistant to all the rusts, (iv) Changes in maturity duration In some of the short duration crops, early maturing varieties can make the crop fit into double and multiple croppino system. This vill also reduce the crop's cost of production. (v) Desirable agronomic traits If we develop those varieties of crops which contain desired agronomic traits then it will help in setting higher production, e.g., breeding for resistance to red rot has led to sugarcane varieties such as Co 975 and Co 62399 which increase cane production in problem areas, (vi) Wider adaptability If we develop those varieties of crops which have wider adaptability, then it will help in stabilising the crop production under different environmental conditions, e.g., ICPH 8 is a hybrid pigeon pea plant which takes a short duration to mature, escapes diseases such as fusarium wilt and sterility mosaic and yields 30 to 40 per cent more than the popular breed.