Genetic improvement in animals and plants for food consumption has been practised and realised since domestication. Intensive improvement, increasingly with incorporation of genetic principles, has been undertaken for a century or more. Much of this has been highly intensive and effective, notably in poultry. There are consequently concerns that genetic variation is being exhausted and continue...

An experiment comprising of 24 wheat genotypes was undertaken during 2011-12, at New Developmental Research Farm, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, to elucidate information on the nature and magnitude of genetic variability, index of transmissibility and assessing the level of genetic improvement of the quantitative characters. The experimental material comprising 19 F3 populations along ...

Twelve cultivars of bambara groundnut were sown for evaluation of variability and genetic correlation among agronomic characters and seed yield in 2004 and 2005 in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Combined analysis of variance revealed highly significant effects (p<0.05) for genotypes (G), year (Y) and G x Y interaction for most characters evaluated. Estimates of geno...

Peasant agriculture has been neglected as modern farming occupied its space in the production of basic foods. Exclusion of smallholders in LDCs is the outcome of declining prices for basic foods now produced and marketed globally by developed countries. This is an effect of globalization: it responds to advances in information technologies, communications, and biotechnology. Productivity gains ...

Awareness of the need for biodiversity conservation is now universally accepted, but most often recent conservation activities have focused on wild species. Crop species and the diversity between and within them has significant socioeconomic as well as heritage value. The bulk of genetic diversity in domesticated species is located in traditional varieties maintained by traditional farming syst...

Understanding and using EPDs continues to be a popular topic among cattle producers because of their effectiveness when properly used in genetic selection. Use of EPDs, as with many other standard management tools, is not required to survive in the beef cattle business, but those who do will excel in terms of genetic improvement. With so many traits to monitor in a cow herd, producers should no...

The technique of isolated microspore culture for the production of haploid plants is well standardized for many species of Brassica, some of which are important oilseed or vegetable crops. It offers an excellent experimental system for improvement of Brassica crops and study of cell differentiation during shift from gametophytic to sporophytic development. The haploids raised from microspores a...

Traditional methods of genetic improvement have yielded long-term, significant improvement in traits relating to production efficiency and overall carcass quality; traits like growth rate, feed conversion, leanness and loin muscle area. These methods require widespread data collection and analysis for continued success. Traits associated with end product or consumer product quality have not rec...