Syllabus
Theory
Historical development, concept, nature and role of plant breeding, major achievements and future prospects; Genetics in relation to plant breeding, modes of reproduction and apomixes, self-incompatibility and male-sterility-genetic consequences, cultivar options, Plant genetic resources, its utilization and conservation Domestication, Acclimatization and Introduction. Centres of origin/ diversity, Components of Genetic variation. Heritability and genetic advance. Pre-breeding and Universal Plant Breeder’s equation. Genetic basis and breeding methods in self-pollinated crops mass and pure line selection, hybridization techniques and handling of segregating population. Multiline concept, Concepts of population genetics and Hardy-Weinberg Law, Genetic basis and methods of breeding cross-pollinated crops, modes of selection. Population movement schemes- Ear to Row method, Modified Ear to Row, recurrent selection schemes. Heterosis and inbreeding depression, development of inbred lines and hybrids, composite and synthetic varieties. Breeding methods in asexually propagated crops, clonal selection and hybridization. Wide hybridization and pre-breeding. Polyploidy in relation to plant breeding, mutation breeding- methods and uses. Breeding for important biotic and abiotic stresses. Participatory plant breeding. Variety Release and notification. Intellectual Property Rights, Patenting, Plant Breeders and Farmer’s Rights.
Practical
Plant Breeder’s kit, Study of germplasm of various crops, Study of floral structures of self pollinated and cross-pollinated crops, Emasculation and hybridization techniques in self and cross pollinated crops, Consequences of inbreeding on genetic structure of resulting populations, Study of male sterility system, Handling of segregating populations, Methods of calculating mean, range, variance, standard deviation, heritability, Designs used in plant breeding experiments, analysis of Randomized Block Design, To work out the mode of pollination in a given crop and extent of natural out-crossing, Prediction of performance of double cross hybrids, Maintenance of breeding records and data collection, Screening tests for biotic and abiotic stresses.