About Lesson
- First year:
- A large number of plants (200-3000) which are superior than the rest are selected from a local variety or mixed population and harvested separately (in some cases individual heads or stems may be selected).
- It is advisable to select for easily observable characters such as flowering, maturity, disease resistance, plant height etc.
- Second year:
- Progenies of individual plants selected in 1st year are grown separately with proper spacing (plant to row or head to row).
- The progenies are evaluated by taking elaborate date on visual characters such as plant height, duration, grain type, ear characters besides yield.
- The number of progenies should be reduced as much as possible.
- If necessary, the process may be repeated for one or more years.
- Third year:
- The selected progenies, now called as cultures are grown in replicated trial for critical evaluation of yield etc.
- The best local variety is used as a check and should be grown at regular intervals, after every 15 or 20 cultures for comparison. This is known as preliminary yield trial.
- Superior cultures based on observable characters and yield are selected.
- Fourth & Fifth years:
- The superior cultures are tested against the local checks in yield trials.
- Observations are recorded on many characters like diseases resistance, days to flower, days to maturity, height of the plant ear characters, test weight and yield.
- Inferior culture are rejected and a few (4-5) promising cultures are selected.
- Sixth, Seventh and Eighth years:
- The promising cultures selected are evaluated at several locations along with strains or cultures of other breeders and local checks.
- One or two promising cultures are selected.
- Ninth year:
- The best progeny identified earlier is multiplied, named and released as a variety for official release of any variety (approval from the variety releasing committee of the state or central is necessary).
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