Selective Breeding in Plants

• Selective Breeding in Plants

  In the agricultural industry, farmers have been carefully selecting the desired traits of their crops to plant or cross pollinate so that they can have a more desired offspring.
• Hybrid Plant

  Hybrid plants are produced when two plants of different varieties are cross-pollinated together to create a new type of plant.
• Why selective breeding in plants

  This is done in hopes of getting a new variety of plant that carries the best traits of both parent plants.
• Why selective breeding in plants - reasons

  Appearance – Making flowers, trees, vegetables, fruit and other plants look “pretty”.
• Why selective breeding in plants - reasons

  Size –Making crops bigger and with higher production.
• Why selective breeding in plants - reasons

  Taste–Making crops taste better.
• why selective breeding in plants - examples

  Improve Survival Rate – Planting or cross-pollinating crops that are more drought, insect & disease resistant.
• Why selective breeding in plants - reasons

  Industry and Agriculture – Making enough lumber, food and other products for society.
• Examples -fruits

  • Meyer lemons - cross between lemon and mandarin orange making them smaller and sweeter more likely to be used in desserts
• Examples - fruits

  Clementine- cross between a mandarin orange and a sweet orange making them less acidic and easier to peel)
• Examples - veggies


  • Sweet corn- easier to plant and sweeter
• Examples - veggies

  Broccolini- cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli making them smaller, less bitter and allowing them to cook faster
• Negative effects of selective breeding - plants

  Many plants that we rely on for food would not have been made without selective breeding. 
• Negative Effects (plants) - Reason - Loss of variety/diversity in plant species


  • Many crops come in a variety of shapes & colors, but that variety has been lost due to humans not wanting their food to look a certain way.
• Negative Effects (plants) - Reason - Loss of variety/diversity in plant species



  • Makes a plant species vulnerable to disease, change, and adaptation.
• Negative Effects (plants) - Reason - environmental risks


  • Some ecosystems have been negatively impacted due to human selectively breeding plants.