Briefly describe the various steps involved in plant breeding.

Explanation

Plant breeding is the manipulation of plant species in order to create desired plant types that are better suited for cultivation, give better yields and are disease resistant .
(i) Collection of variability:
• Collection and preservation of all the different wild varieties, species and closely related plants of the cultivated species is a prerequisite for effective exploitation of natural genes available in the populations. This collection constitutes the germplasm.
(ii) Evaluation and selection of parents:
• The germplasm so collected is evaluated to identify plants with desirable characters.
• The selected plants are multiplied and used in the process of hybridisation.
• Pure lines are created (by repeated self-pollination) wherever possible and desirable.
(iii) Cross Hybridisation of the selected parents:
• It involves crossing of two plants which differ in one or more desirable characters to produce a hybrid having the characters of both the parents. This is a very time-consuming and tedious process.
Also, it is not necessary that the hybrids will combine the desirable characters.
(iv) Selection and testing of superior recombinants: 
First the individuals with the desired combination of characters have to be selected from among the progeny of hybrids. .
•Such hybrids are superior to both of the parents (hybrid vigour/heterosis).
• They are self-pollinated for several generations till they reach a state of homozygosity, so that there will be no segregation of characters in the progeny.
(v) Testing, release commercialisation of new cultivars:
(a) Evaluation: • The selected lines are evaluated for their yield and other agronomic traits, disease resistance, etc.
• Evaluation is done by growing these plants in the research fields and recording their performance under ideal conditions of irrigation, application of fertilisers and other crop management practices.
(b) Testing:
The plants selected after evaluation are tested in the farmers. fields for at least three growing seasons, at several locations in the country, representing different agroclimatic zones, where the crop is normally grown.
• The material is evaluated in comparison to the best available local cultivar as a reference material.
(c) Release:
• The material thus selected is certified and released as a variety.