14 Plant Breeding and Propagation

Overview

The chapter begins with a discussion of the evolution of crop plants and the origins of
agriculture. It continues with how phenotypic changes occur under domestication. The
concept and importance of germplasm banks is presented. The topic of transgenic
plants is framed by a discussion of the pros and cons of transgenic plants. The chapter
discusses an overview of the principal types of vegetative propagation such as cuttings
and grafting. Finally, micropropagation is outlined as a method of asexual propagation
that utilizes sterile culture techniques

Detailed Lecture Outline

I. Crop Plant Evolution

A. Origins of Agriculture
B. Evolution Under Domestication
II. Plant Breeding
A. Breeding Methods Using Sexually Compatible Germplasm
1. Strategies
2. Germplasm Collection and Gene Banks
B. Breeding Methods Using Sexually Incompatible Germplasm
1. Protoplast Fusion
2. Gene Splicing and Transgenic Plants
a. Remove a gene from its normal location
b. Insert gene into a circular form of bacterial DNA called plasmid DNA
c. Plasmid DNA carrying gene is transferred into cells of another species
d. Restriction Enzymes
1) From bacteria
2) Break a circular plasmid at a specific nucleotide sequence
e. Repair Enzymes
1) Called DNA ligases
2) Links two fragments of DNA together
f. Instruments that Facilitate Gene Cloning
1) Protein sequencer
• can determine the amino acid sequence of a protein
2) Gene synthesizer
• can synthesize specific nucleotide sequences of a gene
3. Pros and Cons of Transgenic Plants
III. Plant Propagation
A. Seed Propagation
B. Asexual Plant Propagation
1. Cuttings
a. Cuttings defined
• pieces of a plant that are induced to produce roots and are then
planted to grow on their own
b. Leaf Cuttings
• examples: African violets, peperomias, begonias
 c. Root Cuttings
2. Layering
a. Tip layering
1) Tips of stem (canes) in blackberries and boysenberries are covered
with a mound of soil
2) Roots and shoots form on the buried portion
3) New plants can be separated from parent stems
b. Air layering
1) Wounded stem is wrapped in damp sphagnum moss and covered
with plastic film
2) Adventitious roots develop from injured areas on stem
3) Cut stem below root growth and plant in soil
3. Grafting
a. Grafting Process
• insertion of a short stem portion, the scion, into another stem, the
stock, containing a root system
b. Grafted Part Must Be Related
• can not graft maple wood to an apple tree
4. Propagation from Specialized Stems and Roots
a. Rhizomes, tubes, and corms
• divided and grow into new plant
b. Bulbs
• hyacinth, grape hyacinth induced to form bulblets by wounding
c. Fleshy storage roots
• sweet potatoes, dahlias
5. Micropropagation