Breeding of Vegetable, Spice and Tuber Crops

Procedure for Mass Selection

• Mass selection method of plant breeding is carried out in the manner explained below.
  
The general procedure is given, however; steps may vary depending upon certain factors.

Year	Details
First year	Plants with similar but desirable traits are selected from source population and their seeds are bulked. Alternatively, undesirable population and the seeds of remaining pollination can be bulked.
Second year	Seeds carried from first year are planted in a preliminary yield trial along with standard varieties as checks. Selected plant types are critically evaluated for phenotype.
Third year to sixth year	Co-ordinated yield trials of selected ones are conducted at several locations to confirm that selection could perform in the similar manner at different locations within an agro-climatic zone.
Seventh year	Mass selected variety is released if it is up to the expectation. Seeds are multiplied for distribution.