Artificial Hybridization Plants: Procedures, Steps and FAQ

What is Artificial Hybridisation?

Artificial Hybridisation can be defined as crossing plants intentionally for the creation of hybrids with specific desired traits. This technique has been used by plant breeders to enhance attributes like yield, disease resistance, and adaptability to the environment. In artificial hybridisation, the male and female plants that are desirable are selected, and the pollen is utilised for fertilising the ovules of another plant. This technique enables desirable traits from the parent plants to be hybridised into a new plant species that might prove to be more vigorous than either of its parents in angiosperms.

Read More:

• Artificial Hybridization: Emasculation & Bagging MCQ

• Difference Between Self Pollination and Cross-Pollination

• Pollen-Pistil Interaction & Outbreeding Devices

Importance of Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

Artificial hybridisation revolutionised agriculture and horticulture as it brought fresh plant species that exhibit increased production and resistance. Some of the advantages include:

High productivity: Hybrids tend to be more productive than their parental lines. This is meant to achieve high productivity, which increases food production.

Resistance to diseases: Most hybrids are bred with resistance to particular pests and diseases. This thus reduces the use of chemicals and makes farming sustainable.

Environmental adaptability: It would now be easy to produce varieties for different climates and soils by choosing such plants that excel in certain conditions.

The Process of Artificial Hybridisation

The steps of artificial hybridization include the choice of parent plants, emasculation, and pollination. Emasculation refers to the removal of the bilobed anthers from the flower of the female parent to prevent self-pollination. However, the process may be totally omitted for cases where the plant species lacks clear male and female reproductive organs. After emasculation, the structure of pollen grain from the male parent is inserted into the stigma of the female parent. This is to ensure that only the desired traits will be expressed in the resulting hybrid. It includes steps as given below:

1. Selection of Parent Plants: Choose male and female plants with desirable traits.

2. Emasculation: Remove anthers from the female flower to prevent self-pollination.

3. Bagging: Cover the emasculated flower to avoid unwanted pollen contamination.

4. Collection of Pollen: Collect mature pollen from the selected male parent.

5. Pollination: Transfer pollen to the stigma of the emasculated female flower.

6. Rebagging: Cover the flower again to protect the pollinated stigma.

7. Tagging: Label the flower with parent names, date, and cross details.

Techniques Used in Artificial Hybridisation

Artificial hybridisation applies various techniques in its execution. These methods improve fertilization chances and protect the process from contamination. Some of these are as follows;

Controlled Pollination: It involves the covering of flowers with bags that prevent unwanted pollen from contaminating the process of cross-pollination.

Plant Hormones: Hormones can be applied to cause the formation of the ovule and increase the chances of fertilization.

Tissue culture: Advanced tissue cultures can also be applied for hybridisation as it allows the development of plants from tissues taken in controlled artificial conditions.

Examples of Artificial Hybridisation in Plants

Artificial hybridisation is widely used to improve crop yield, quality, and resistance. It is also applied in ornamental plants to create new colors and shapes. Among the key crops that have been artificially hybridised are:

Hybrid Maize: Hybrid maize strains develop much more yield and are very sensitive to environmental stress.

Hybrid Rice: Hybrid rice cultivation has amplified the production and food security of most nations.

Flowering Plants: Even decorative flowers like roses and chrysanthemums have produced abnormal shades of colours as well as shapes due to human hybridisation.

MCQs on Artificial Hybridisation

Question 1: While planning for an artificial hybridization program involving dioecious plants, which of the following steps would not be relevant?

1. Bagging of the female flower

2. A dusting of pollen on the stigma

3. Emasculation

4. Collection of pollen

Answer: Male and female reproductive organs are found on distinct plants in dioecious plants which means that each plant only produces one type of flower—not both.
Emasculation or the removal of male reproductive organs is irrelevant in artificial hybridization programs involving dioecious plants because the male and female organs are already present on different plants. Removing male components from the same plant is not necessary.

Hence, the correct answer is option 3) Emasculation.

Question 2: Assertion: Emasculation is necessary for artificial hybridization when the female parent bears bisexual flowers.

Reason: Emasculation involves the removal of anthers to prevent contamination with unwanted pollen.

1. Both the assertion and reason are true, and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion.

2. Both the assertion and reason are true, but the reason is not the correct explanation of the assertion.

3. The assertion is true, but the reason is false.

4. The assertion is false, but the reason is true.

Answer: The assertion states that emasculation is necessary for artificial hybridization when the female parent bears bisexual flowers. Emasculation involves removing anthers from the flower bud of the female parent-bearing bisexual flowers to prevent contamination with unwanted pollen.

The reason correctly explains the assertion by stating that emasculation is performed to prevent contamination with unwanted pollen. It provides a logical explanation for why emasculation is necessary in the given scenario.

Hence, the correct answer is Option (1) Both the assertion and reason are true, and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion.

Question 3: Why is emasculation performed in artificial hybridization?

1. To increase the chances of successful pollination.

2. To prevent unwanted self-pollination.

3. To enhance the genetic diversity of the resulting hybrid.

4. To promote the growth of male reproductive organs in plants.

Answer: Emasculation is the removal of the male reproductive organs of a plant, such as the stamens, to prevent self-pollination and promote controlled pollination. In artificial hybridization, emasculation is performed to prevent unwanted self-pollination and ensure that only the desired pollen is used for controlled pollination. This helps in creating new plant varieties with desired traits by controlling the pollination process. Emasculation is a common practice in plant breeding, especially in crops where self-pollination is common, such as tomatoes and peas.

Hence, the correct answer is option 2)To prevent unwanted self-pollination.

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