Breeding Strategies on

Selected Crops

Allan Presillas
Sharon Rose D. Ysulat
 Major objective of plant breeding programs
• Todevelop new genotypes that are genetically superior to those
currently available for a specific target environment or a target
population of environments (TPE).
Concepts of Resistance in Breeding
Breeding for yield and other morphological traits, as well as
breeding for resistance to abiotic stress are conceptually
different from breeding for resistance to biotic stresses.
Breeding in the former scenarios entails the manipulation
of a single genetic system –plants.
Breeding for resistance to biotic stresses on the other hand
involves the manipulation of two genetic systems – one for
plants (host) and the other for the organism (pathogen or
pest) – not independently, but with regard to the
interaction between the two systems.
The breeder needs to understand the interrelationships
between plants and pathogens/pests that have persisted
through co-evolution and co-existence.
 Concepts of Resistance in Breeding….

 In many cases the breeder will find in his or her germplasm a

continuous variation in levels of resistance.
True resistance has a genetic basis and is, hence, amenable to
plant breeding methodologies.
Resistance can be a qualitative or quantitative trait based on
the underlying genetic mechanism.
Development and use of resistant cultivars has several
advantages. It is easy to deploy and has no adverse
environmental consequences. Also it is convenient for farmers
to use.
However, when resistance is not satisfactory, farmers may
need to supplement it with other disease and pest
management practices (e.g., use of pesticides)
Basic Breeding Approaches Pedigree and Bulk
Breeding
Generalized Steps in Breeding by Bulk Selection
Generalized Steps in Breeding by Pedigree Selection
 Strategies of Breeding Resistance of Insect
Pest

Develop Insect- Resistant Varieties-

ultimate objective of host plant resistance
Program to minimize crop losses from attack of insects
Info on the inheritance of resistance- useful in deciding
what breeding methodology and breeding strategies to
adopt
Damage From Asiatic Corn
Borers

Estimated yield loss due to ACB in the Philippines is

20% to 80%. Severe infestation of ACB may result to
total crop failure
 Types of Resistance
• Ability of a certain variety to produce larger
crop of good quality than other varieties under
same level of insect infestation and comparable
environment
Vertical
resistance
When defined into genetic
basis Horizontal
Resistance
 Vertical Resistance/Biotype Specific
Resistance

• When series of cultivars of a crop show differential

reactions when infested with different insect
biotypes
• Some cultivar show a resistant reaction while
others show susceptible reaction.
• Generally but not always of a high level and is
controlled by major genes or oligogenes. It is also
considered less stable
 Major genes for
resistance maybe
dominant if the F1
progeny of a
resistant and a
susceptible parent
are resistant
Why less Stable?

They maybe
recessive if the
hybrid is
susceptible
 Horizontal Resistance/Biotype-nonspecific
resistance
.
• All resistant cultivars show similar levels of resistance to all
biotypes

• Controlled generally by several polygenes or minor genes,

each with a small contribution to the resistant trait.

• Is moderate does not exert a high selection pressure on the

insect and is thus more stable or durable.
Parasitic Ability

• Ability of an insect to survive at the expense of

its host.
• Similar with Pathogenicity- which is the ability
of a disease organism to attack its host.
• The insect’s genetic constitution determines its
ability to parasitize its host.
 Biotypes

• a population or an individual distinguished from other populations or individuals of its

species.
• Knowledge about the genetic basis of virulence or parasitic ability of the insect population
is not necessary but is desirable before designating them as distinct biotype.
 Genetic Analysis for Resistance
• Inheritance of resistance to insects has been
investigated in several crop species

Resistant varieties should first be purified.

A variety is composed of resistant and

Plant susceptible individuals and may have off-
types plants
Materials
Tests should be done under uniform and
disease free environment
 Insect population of significant density-
advisable to use greenhouse or laboratory-
raised insects

To overcome variability problem, an insect

colony started from a single-pair mating of
Insect insects of known virulence is highly
desirable
Population

Insect species which vector the viruses

should be free of the virus
 Resistance maybe based on plant injury or
other symptoms of attack or of the reaction
of insects to the plant

Plant injury maybe in the form of defoliated

leaf, stunted plants or death of the plants
Scoring for such as hopper burn.
Resistance
Insect reactions to resistant plants maybe
death, reduced fecundity., loss in weight,
restlessness, delayed life cycle, and
avoidance of plant feeding

For genetic analysis, plant resistance is

basically assessed on the reaction of the
plant to the insect and less often by the
reaction of the plant to the insect
 Resistant parents are crossed with a
susceptible parent

A portion of the F1 seeds are planted to

test the reaction of the F1 progenies to the
Inheritance of insect and the rest are planted to obtain F2
Resistance seeds.

F2 seeds from each F1 plant are harvested

separately.

Part of the F2 seeds are planted to grow F2

progenies and the rest are used to
determine the insect reaction of F2 plants
 F2 populations from 2 to 3 F1 plants are
tested for insect reaction. (a random
sample of 150-200 plants from the field-
grown F2 populations is harvested to
obtain F3 seeds).

Inheritance of F3 progenies are evaluated for resistance to

verify the F2 results
Resistance

F1 and F3 progenies are scored on a row

basis and F2 progenies on plant basis. This
all the F1 should have similar reaction.
 Inheritance of
Resistance

• If resistant , a dominant gene(s) governs the

resistance. If susceptible, the gene is recessive

Resistant Resistant and Moderately Resistant

Category

Susceptible Susceptible and highly Susceptible

Category
Inheritance of
Resistance

A 3:1 ratio of resistant to susceptible indicates a single dominant

gene for resistance and 1 resistant:3 susceptible indicates a recessive
gene.

Allele Test

If two parents have recessive genes and

their F1 hybrid is resistant, the recessive
genes of the two parents are allelic
Genetic analysis for major gene resistance

Resistance to BPH (Nilaparvata lugens) of Rice is a classic example of

major gene resistance
Genetic analysis for major gene resistance

Resistance to BPH (Nilaparvata lugens) of Rice is a classic example of

major gene resistance
MARKER ASSISTED SELECTION (MAS)
 APPLICATION OF GENE
PYRAMIDING
The concept of transferring several specific
genes into one plant is called gene
pyramiding.

Because there are different races of insect

pest, plant breeders may want to transfer a
number of genes for conferring resistance to
different races of insect pest into a cultivar.
 Applications of biotechnology in pest
resistance breeding

 One of the successful applications of

agricultural biotechnology is in pest resistance
breeding.
 Engineering Insect Resistance
The basic approaches to genetic engineering of
insect resistance in plants:

The use of protein toxins of bacterial origin.

Protein toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

• Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) forms endotoxins

that are crystalline proteins. It was first
identified in 1911 when it was observed to kill
the larvae of flour moth.
• Bt is very selective in action,that is, one strain
of the bacterium kills only certain classes of
insects.
 History of Bt toxin

• Bt toxin was first discovered by a Japanese biologist named Shigetane

Ishiwatari when he was investigating what was causing sotto disease.

• The sotto disease was the sudden collapse disease that was occurring
to silkworms and he isolated the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in
1901. In later years Ernest Berliner isolated the bacteria that was
responsible for the death of Mediterranean flour month in 1911.

• The bacteria that he isolated were the same bacteria that were
isolated by Shigetane Ishiwatari, and he named it Bacillus thuringiensis
after a German town Thuringia. Mr. Ishiwatari had named the bacteria
Bacillus sotto in 1901 but it was over ruled and renamed Bacillus
thurigiensis, and in 1915 Berliner reported that Bt created crystal but
the function of the crystal was not known until later years.
 History of Bt toxin…
• The Bt pesticide was used by farmers since 1920 and was
later commercialized spore based by France in 1938. The
pesticide was called Sorine and its first purpose was to kill
flour moths.
• As the years passed more products were produced that
contained Bt but they all had limitations. Some of the
limitations are that the Bt toxins:
1. Were washed off from the leaves whenever it rained.
2. Degraded by the sun Ultra violet rays.
3. Most of the insects were not affected by the stand of Bt
toxin that was used.
 History of Bt toxin…
• In 1956 researchers, Hanny, Fitz-James and Angus
discovered that the insecticidal activity was due to the
parasporal crystals.
• Then in 1958 the U.S.A. started to use the Bt toxin
commercially and was later registered as a pesticide in 1961.
Until 1977 there was only thirteen subspecies of toxin that
were known and they only affect the moth larvae.
• Then in 1977 they discovered the first subspecies toxin that
affected the flies (dipteran) species, then six years later in
1938 they discovered the strain of toxin that was lethal to
beetles.
 History of Bt toxin…
• As the years when by farmers became more interested in Bt toxins
because the insects were becoming resistant to synthetic pesticides.
• Also scientist and environmentalist became aware that the chemicals in
synthetic pesticides were harming the environment and the ecosystem.
• Due to this concern the government and private industries started to
fund research on Bt because it is environmentally friendly.
• Over the years over one thousand strains of Bt were discovered and the
genes that encodes the toxin in the DNA is now known.
• In the advancements in molecular biology and biotechnology, it became
feasible to replicate the gene in Bt that encoded for the toxin and place
it into a plant. The first genetically engineered crop was the corn and
was registered with the EPA in 1995.