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Wild species
The practical importance of inter-species
hybridization* lies in recombining properties of
different species that drifted apart in the process of
evolution. Wild relatives of crop species are dispersed
far and wide and grow under diverse environments, which
is why wild species offer so many diverse
characteristics.
In general, most cultivated species
have lost many traits initially inherent in their wild
ancestors, such as resistance to unfavorable
environmental factors, adaptation to different soil and
climate conditions and resistance to pathogens, due to
natural or directed selection.
Hybridization between a
crop plant and a related wild species enables valuable
genes from the wild species to be used for genetic
improvement of the crop plant.
Many modern crop
varieties incorporate resistance to fungal, bacterial
and viral diseases that have been introduced through
wide crosses between domesticated varieties and related
wild species.
In plant breeding this practice is limited
to introducing traits that are not available in the
cultivated species as crossing to wild species also
brings many unfavorable traits that have been selected
against in modern varieties.
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Hybridization |
Sexual cross between genetically
different parents |
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