Plant and Animal Breeding Flashcards
Why do breeders of both plant and animal food sources need to select desirable genetic characteristics?
To improve the productivity of food production. Only individual plants and animals possessing a desirable genetic characteristic are selected to be included in breeding programmes.
Give an example of a wild species that humans have shaped into different foods by selective breeding.
Wild cabbage.
What is another name for selective breeding?
Artificial selection
Name some kinds of foods that were derived from the wild cabbage.
Brussel sprouts
Kale
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Name six desirable characteristics in plants.
- Yield Increase
- Increase in nutritional value
- Pest Resistance
- Disease Resistance
- Useful Physical Characteristics
- Can thrive in certain environment
Give an example of Yield Increase in plants.
Increase in mass of food produced by a wheat crop.
Give an example of an increase in nutritional value in plants.
Increase in mass of protein produced by a soya bean crop.
Give an example of pest resistance in plants.
Resistance of tomato to eel worm.
Give an example of disease resistance in plants.
Resistance of potato to the late blight
Give an example of useful physical characteristics in plants.
Growth of cereal crop to uniform height suited to mechanical harvesting.
Give an example of plants thriving in a certain environment.
Ability of maize to grow in a cold, damp climate.
What four desirable characteristics are livestock bred for?
- Resistance to bacterial infection.
- High conversion of feed to meat (Feed conversion ratio)
- High fertility rate.
- Ability to thrive in difficult environments e.g. Scottish hills in winter.
What is a cultivar?
A cultivar is a plant or animal that has been created or intentionally selected for desirable characteristics that can be maintained by cultivation.
Today almost all agriculture food crops are exclusively cultivars.
Give an example of a method which can be used to improve crops and livestock.
Genetic Modification.
What are field trials set up for?
To compare the performance of different cultivars or GM crops.
Why are field trials used in addition to the laboratory experiments?
Field trials are carefully and scientifically monitored to ensure that accurate results are obtained
and
that there are no harmful effects on the environment.
What is a plot in a field trial?
Equal sized portions of land.
Why are plots used in field trials?
They are given different treatments to compare the differences.
What is a treatment (in the context of field trials)? Provide an example.
A treatment refers to the way one plot is treated compared with the other plots.
For example, one plot given a higher concentration of herbicide and the other plot a lower concentration.
What three factors must be considered when designing a field trial?
- The selection of treatments used.
- The number of replicates.
- The randomisation of treatments.
Why is the selection of treatments important when setting up a field trial?
Give an example.
It is used to make it a valid investigation and ensures valid comparisons, only one treatment must be trialled at one time.
For example, the effect of fertiliser on the growth of a crop.
Why is the number of replicates important when setting up a field trial?
To take experimental error (uncontrolled variability) into account.
Three minimum replicates should be used to improve results.
Why is the randomisation of treatments important when setting up a field trial?
To prevent bias existing in the system.