Food Crops Variety Improvement is the process of developing new varieties of food crops with desired characteristics. The main goal is to improve the production of food crops by developing their traits to make them high-yielding, disease-resistant, and quality products.

Various methods and agricultural practices, including food crop variety improvements, contribute to enhancing the growth, development, and yield of crops. The improvement of food crop varieties can help them to adapt to the local conditions like irrigation, drainage herbicide pesticides, etc.

In this article, we will discuss those different methods which can be used for food crop variety improvements.

What is a Food Crop?

Definition of Food Crop – They are those subsistence crops that are cultivated for human consumption. They include fruits, vegetables, grains, and tubers, etc.

Food crops meet the majority of the caloric and nutritional needs of the global population. Grains like wheat, rice, and corn, are the most popular crops in the different parts of the world. Food crops are different from the cash crops. They are generally grown for selling and profit purposes. Most crops are grown today, they all are cash crops. It means they are grown to be sold on domestic and international markets.

In India, a broad variety of different crops are produced including cereals, pulses, oil seeds, and vegetables are the main crops of them. We get carbohydrates from different cereals like millet, rice, wheat, sorghum, and maize. The proteins come from so many pulses that include lentils, gram, pigeon pea, black gram, pea, and green gram. We get our fats from so many oil seeds like mustard, linseed, castor, sunflower, ground nut, soybean, and sesame. We get vitamins and minerals from fruits, vegetables, and spices.

Also Read: Difference Between Rice and Wheat

Methods of Food Crop Variety Improvement

Food crop variety improvement aims to increase crop productivity and quality. Here are some important methods mentioned below.

Hybridization

Hybridization is a technique that involves the crossing process between two different plants to create new crop varieties. It is an act of breeding plants with different genetic compositions. This food crop variety improvement method can be divided into three different types further as mentioned below:

• Interspecific Hybridization: Interspecific Hybridization is a process where the hybridization process takes place between two different species of the same genus. This type of hybridization allows the exploitation of useful genes from the wild as well as the unimproved species for the benefit of the cultivated species.
• Intervarietal Hybridization: Intervarietal Hybridization is a hybridization process of two different variations. This technique supports the crossing of two different varieties of a particular species.
• Intergeneric Hybridization: Intergeneric Hybridization takes place between two different genera. This type of hybridization process broadens the genetic pool by creating hybrids with diverse characteristics.

Also Read: Improvement in Crop Yields

Gene Incorporation

Gene Incorporation is one of the food crop variety improvement method that involves the incorporation of genes into a specific crop to improve its quality and quantity. Weather, soil quality, and water availability, these all factors can affect crop output and cultivation techniques. It is important to be able to grow this variety in different climates because we can not always predict if there will be too much or too little rain, like in droughts or floods.

Also Read: Types of Crops, Food Crops and Cash Crops

Factors that Influence Crop Variety Improvement

There are so many factors those can influence food crop variety improvements:

• Through improved farming techniques and technology, we can produce more crops with high productivity.
• To enhance the quality of crop products we need to focus on specific attributes of that crops.
• With increased preservation quality of fruits and vegetables, we can improve the crop variety.
• To improve the crop variety, we can develop crop strains that will be resistant to drought, salinity, diseases, insects, etc.

Also Read: Types & Methods of Food Production

Importance of Crop Variety Improvement

The main reason to improve the food crop varieties is to meet our high demand with limited resources. It is a balancing process where we want to produce enough crops without compromising their quality. These variations are for producing well-performing crops for all conditions. It is essentially about making our food crops better and more reliable. Here are some major factors as mentioned below.

• New Climate Adaptation: Different regions have different climates. It develops a different type of crop varieties that can survive in different weather conditions.
• Pests and Diseases Resistance: New crop varieties can be developed in that way, by which they can resist the common pests and different diseases. This reduce the need chemical pesticides. Improved crops also promotes sustainable and environmental friendly farming processes.
• Increased Yield: Improved crop species have higher yields. It means farmers can grow more food on the same land. This is essential to maintain the supply chain for the growing global population.
• Nutritional Enhancement: Modified crop breeds also have improved nutritional content of plants. They contributes in creating more nutritious and healthier food options for the population.
• Crop Diversity: Variety of crops with different traits increase agricultural biodiversity. This is essential for our ecosystem.
• Market Demands: Consumer preferences and market demands may require new crop varieties. It is needed to meet specific criteria of the consumers.

Also Read: Crop Production and Management

Conclusion – Food Crops – Methods of Food Crop Variety Improvements

The improvement of food crop varieties can help them to adapt to the local conditions like irrigation, drainage herbicide pesticides, etc. The food we consume today, they are essential for our strength and well-being. It provides us with the necessary nutrients and energy for our body’s growth and proper functioning. To address the increased demand with limited resources, we must put more effort. Enhancing crop varieties, improving production methods, and implementing effective crop protection strategies are the three key approaches to enhancing food crop production.

Also Read:

• Types of Agriculture in India
• Different Types of Farming in India
• Hydroponics Farming – The Future of Agriculture

FAQs – Different Methods used for Crop Variety Improvements

Which Method is Used for Crop Improvement?

Hybridisation and Gene Incorporation is used for crop improvement. Food Crops Variety Improvements are the process of developing new varieties of food crops with desired characteristics.

What are the Four Major Steps in Bringing a New Variety of Crop?

Selection and testing of superior recombinants, Germplasm collection, Cross-hybridisation among the selected parents, Evaluation and selection are the four major steps in bringing a new variety of crop.

Which is Most Common Method of Improving Variety of Crops?

Crop variety can be improved by hybridisation. It is the most common method of improving variety of crops.

What is the Main Aim of Crop Improvement?

The objective of crop improvement is to develop Higher yielding crops. This can be done by the process of hybridization and cross-breeding.

What is Improvement in Crop Yields?

By improving the crop variety through cross-breeding and hybridization, the crop yield can be increased. The crop becomes resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses.

What is an Example of Gene Incorporation in Plant Variety Improvement?

Gene incorporation is used in the production of Bt brinjal. The plant is resistant to lepidopteran larvae.

What are the Different Factors for Which Crop Variety Improvement is Done?

The factors for which variety improvement is done are Higher yield Improved quality. The quality of crop products may vary from crop to crop.

Name High-Yielding Semi-Dwarf Varieties of Wheat.

Sonalika and Kalyansona were the high yielding semi-dwarf varieties of wheat which were selected and introduced in India.