Why crossing with wild relatives is beneficial because it helps in the transfer of gene of ?

Options

A. Disease resistance
B. Pest resistance
C. Drought resistance
D. All the above.

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding the Concept of Crossing with Wild Relatives:**
- Crossing cultivated plants with their wild relatives is a common practice in plant breeding. This process is known as artificial hybridization.

2. **Identifying the Benefits of Crossing:**
- The primary benefit of this crossing is the introduction of desirable traits from wild relatives into cultivated varieties. Wild relatives often possess genes that confer various beneficial agronomic traits.

3. **Examples of Agronomic Traits:**
- These traits can include:
- Disease resistance: Ability to withstand diseases that affect crops.
- Pest resistance: Protection against insect pests.
- Drought resistance: Capability to survive in conditions of low water availability.
- Nutritional quality: Traits such as high protein content, high oil content, and high vitamin content.
- Resistance to abiotic stresses: Tolerance to environmental stresses like extreme temperatures or water scarcity.

4. **Conclusion:**
- Therefore, crossing with wild relatives is beneficial because it helps in the transfer of genes that provide these important agronomic characteristics. The answer to the question is that crossing with wild relatives helps in the transfer of genes for disease resistance, pest resistance, drought resistance, and other beneficial traits.

5. **Final Answer:**
- All of the above traits can be marked as correct, hence the answer is "all of the above."

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