Abstract Crop germplasm collections are a key asset to support the resilience and productivity of cropping systems worldwide. In their diversity lays an oftentimes untapped reservoir alleles that may enable breeding strategies targeting local adaptation, resulting in enhanced performance higher varietal uptake. past five decades, national genebank Ethiopia actively collected conserved thousands...

Genetic variation is essential for crop breeding. In classical plant breeding programme, generated by hybridization and selections are made from the resulting segregating generations. Induced mutagenesis can supplement or able to replace as a source of variability. Since, mutations bring about variation, they provide ultimate basis evolution new forms, varieties species. spontaneous have played...

The development of molecular maps and the complete sequencing of the rice genome have created many opportunities for the application of DNA markers in breeding and genetics. Markerassisted selection (MAS) has become a practical tool in cultivar improvement. MAS is time-saving, very efficient, can promote bio-safety (no need for pathogen or insect pest inoculations during screening trials), reli...

In a conventional breeding programme, all F1 plants, from homozygous self-fertilizing parents, are identically heterozygous. The F2 is produced, and the character combination selected for, is carried on further into daughter generations. In case the pollen was irradiated before pollination it would be investigated whether genetic changes had taken place which influence the variability in the pr...