Plant Genetics and Breeding Flashcards
6 cards from real Agronomy practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Plant Genetics and Breeding flashcards as text
What is a hybrid variety in crop production?
Answer: The F1 offspring of two inbred parent lines
A hybrid variety is the first-generation (F1) offspring produced by crossing two genetically distinct inbred parent lines, exhibiting hybrid vigor.
What is 'heterosis' (hybrid vigor) in plant breeding?
Answer: Superior performance of F1 hybrids over parental averages
Heterosis refers to the superior performance of F1 hybrid offspring compared to the average of their parent inbred lines.
Which breeding method is most commonly used to develop new inbred lines for hybrid corn production?
Answer: Selfing (self-pollination) for multiple generations
Repeated self-pollination over 6–8 generations produces highly homozygous inbred lines used as parents in hybrid seed production.
What does the term 'quantitative trait' mean in plant genetics?
Answer: A trait controlled by many genes showing continuous variation
Quantitative traits like yield and plant height are controlled by many genes with small individual effects and show continuous variation in populations.
Backcrossing in plant breeding is primarily used to do what?
Answer: Transfer a single trait into an elite variety while preserving its background
Backcrossing involves repeated crosses to the recurrent (elite) parent to recover its genome while retaining a desired trait from the donor parent.
GMO crops produced using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation are transformed how?
Answer: By inserting foreign DNA via the Ti plasmid into plant cells
Agrobacterium tumefaciens naturally transfers its Ti plasmid DNA into plant cells; scientists exploit this to insert desired genes.