Breeding by design

Breeders can use major genes to design a variety. But the extent of this design process is much less than, say, the process involved in building a new car model.

Plant breeding is a long-term effort, with the breeding process being repeated over time instead of trying to do everything in one fell swoop. Tune in to find out why.

A good dish starts from good ingredients. The same applies to plant breeding, with the ingredients being the germplasm used as parents to create new varieties.

To identify the "survivors" in a breeding program, plant breeders need to continually assess the performance of the plants for different characteristics. Find out what this process (aka phenotyping) entails.

A plant breeder may be the one designing and executing a breeding program, yet a breeder needs to carefully consider and follow the natural mode of reproduction of a given plant species.

Plant breeding relies on the science of genetics. Here's a quick introduction to (or review of) key genetic principles and concepts that are important in plant improvement.

The process of improving plants genetically may seems daunting. The underlying concepts in plant improvement, however, are easily understandable.

Plants meet the most basic of human needs, yet we often take them for granted. This episode focuses on just how amazing plants are.

I'm glad you found this podcast! In this trailer episode, I'll introduce myself and describe what this Plant Breeding Matters podcast is all about.