Practice question

Core objectives of plant breeding aim to enhance agronomic value and consumer safety. High yield achieved through selection for effective tillering, synchronous flowering, increased sink strength, and exploitation of heterosis via hybrid breeding. Improving quality includes enriching protein content, essential amino acids, oil composition lowering saturated fats, micronutrients such as iron and zinc, vitamins, and reducing antinutritional compounds like phytic acid and trypsin inhibitors. Disease resistance against fungi, bacteria, viruses and insect pest tolerance via major genes and quantitative resistance reduces pesticide dependence. Abiotic stress tolerance to drought, salinity, flooding and temperature extremes mediated by stress responsive genes improves stability. Traits for wide adaptability, mechanical harvestability, synchronous maturity, and shattering resistance also important. Increase in toxicity is never desirable; instead breeding programs aim to eliminate or lower endogenous toxins such as gossypol in cottonseed, erucic acid in mustard, solanine in potatoes, cucurbitacin bitterness, and cyanogenic glycosides in sorghum because toxic levels compromise food and feed safety, making detoxification a major quality breeding objective aligned with nutritional security missions.