Breeding of Fruit and Plantation Crops 2 + 1

Advantages and limitations of clonal selection

Advantages

• Clonal selection is an easy and less time consuming method
• Easy maintenance because there is no problem of out crossing and loss of seed viability. Variation occurs due to somatic mutation only which can be managed by removal of undesired plants
• Heterotic clones on selection may be used as permanent hybrids. Heterosis can be exploited for longer time without production of hybrid seed every year (for vegetatively propagated vegetable crops)
• Clonal selection is the only method of breeding in vegetatively propagated fruit plants
 
Limitations

• There is limited chance of getting new and useful type of variability
• The multiplication rate is low
• It is only useful for vegetatively propagated plants