Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

Artificial hybridization in plants is a process of crossing two genetically different species that share desired traits to develop those characteristics in the future. This can be done in plants through various techniques, such as emasculation and bagging. In this article, we will learn about artificial hybridization in detail, which is also covered in the biology syllabus for class 12.

What is Artificial Hybridization in Plants?

Artificial hybridization is a plant breeding technology that has transformed the agriculture and horticulture sectors by speeding up the production of new crop varieties with desirable characteristics. It has also improved the quality and yield of the crop. Unlike natural hybridization where closely related plants cross-pollinate in the wild, artificial hybridization involves deliberate crosses to achieve particular breeding goals or acquire desired traits.

This method of artificial hybridization uses plants' natural genetic diversity to produce higher-quality hybrids with improved traits such as disease resistance, increased production, and improved seed and crop quality. In other words, artificial hybridization is a controlled breeding technique used by scientists to create new plant varieties with desired traits.

In this process of artificial hybridisation, pollen from one plant is transferred manually to the stigma of another plant. This allows for the combination of specific genetic characteristics from different parents, resulting in offspring with desired traits.

Steps of Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

The steps of artificial hybridisation class 12 explains students how the process takes place. Let us see it detail:

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Emasculation

This process involves removal of the male reproductive organs (anthers) of the female parent plant to prevent self-pollination. This strategy is important in plants with bisexual flowers, where natural self-pollination can take place. By emasculating the flower, only the desired pollen can be used for cross-breeding, ensuring the desired traits are passed on to the offspring.

This step is crucial in artificial hybridization to control the breeding process and achieve the desired results. It is performed manually with forceps or scissors, or by sterilizing using chemicals.

Also Read: Difference Between Cross-Pollination And Self Pollination

Artificial Hybridisation Bagging or Caging

In artificial hybridisation in plants, this is a process of enclosing or covering the emasculated flower (female parent plant) with a cover to prevent unwanted pollens from other plants to land over stigma. Usually paper or nylon mesh bags are used. This procedure makes sure that the required pollen, which is usually from selected the male parent plant is used for pollination.

Pollination in Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

In the steps of artificial hybridization in plants, pollination or pollen transfer is a crucial step. Pollination involves the transfer of pollen from anthers of the male parent plant to the stigma of the emasculated female parent plant. This can be done manually by using a brush or by carefully removing the anthers and placing them on the stigma of the receiving plant. This ensures that the desired genetic material is transferred, leading to the development of hybrid seeds with desired traits.

Techniques of Isolation in Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

Isolation techniques separate female and male parent plants to prevent cross-pollination with different plant species. Isolation can be performed in a variety of ways, which are:

• Putting parent plants in separate greenhouse compartments
• Putting screens in the field to separate the parent plants
• Timing parent plant flowering cycles to avoid overlap.

Production of Hybrid Seeds in Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

After pollination, hybrid seeds develop on the female parent plant. Once grown, hybrid seeds can be collected, washed, and stored for future planting or commercial distribution. Care should be taken to maintain seed quality and viability.

Embryo Rescue in Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

When interspecific or intergeneric crossings fail due to genetic incompatibility, embryo rescue techniques can be used. Immature embryos are removed from developing seeds and placed in a nutrient-rich medium in vitro to stimulate continued growth and development through tissue culture techniques.

These techniques allow controlled cross-breeding and the generation of hybrid seeds with desirable traits, which helps to promote plant breeding and the development of new crop types.

Also Read: Plant Breeding

Advantages of Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

Advantages of artificial hybridisation are as follows:

• Improvement of plant traits: Allows combining of good taits from many parent plants, improving trait of the offspring plant.
• Development of new plant varieties: When compared to traditional breeding procedures, artificial hybridization can result in the rapid production of new plant varieties with better characteristic traits.
• Improvement of the plant yield and quality: When compared to their parent varieties, hybrid plants can improve the quality and provide higher yield.
• Hybrid plants have tolerance to environmental stresses: Through hybridization, plants that are more suited to a particular environment such as tolerance to salt and draught stress. This leads to better adaptability of the plant.
• Improved tolerance to stress: Hybrid plants have increased resistance to pests and diseases as disease resistance genes from one parent to the other.
• Enhanced productivity: Enhanced productivity and quality of hybrid plants with improved traits have higher commercial values.

Disadvantages of Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

While artificial hybridisation has many advantages, it has some disadvantages too. Some disadvantages are mentioned below:

• This might lead to losing genetic diversity in plants which occurs due to cross pollination.
• It is a threat to native plant species.
• May lead to inbreeding depression as the gene pool becomes small, lowering vigor and fertility of the seed.
• Hybridization can occasionally produce unexpected results, with offspring displaying traits that are not anticipated.
• It relies on human intervention, which can be expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive.
• The modified or hybrid plants may raise ethical issues.

What are the Problems With Plant Hybridisation?

While artificial hybridization provides various benefits, it also poses few challenges for breeders:

• Genetic constraints: Reproductive barriers in few plant species can prevent effective hybridization, necessitating specific approaches like embryo rescue or tissue culture.
• Hybrid vigor: Although hybrids frequently exhibit superior characteristics, not all combinations produce attractive results.
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): The production and commercialization of hybrid varieties may pose IP challenges, notably those involving patents and right of plant breeders. This makes it absolutely important to stick to legal restrictions and licensing agreements.
• Ethical considerations: Concerns about genetic manipulation and introducing hybrid variants into ecosystems may raise concerns.

Conclusion - Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

Artificial hybridization of plants is an advantages technique for increasing agricultural production, sustainability, and resilience to address issues related to global food security. By using plant genetic diversity through regulated crosses, breeders can develop unique crop varieties with enhanced attributes addressing demands of farmers and consumers. To ensure the long-term success and sustainability of this technique, their are certain challenges and concerns hence ethical breeding techniques needs to be promoted.

Also Read:

• What is Somatic Hybridization?
• Plant Breeding
• Plant Genetics
• Plant Tissue Culture