Principles of Plant Breeding (2+1)

Mass Selection

Mass Selection
Large number of plants having similar phenotype are selected and their seeds are mixed together to constitute a new variety. Thus the population obtained from selected plants will be more uniform than the original population. However, they are genotypically different.

Steps:
First season: From the base population select phenotypically similar plants which may be 200 - 2000. Harvest the selected plants as a bulk.

Second season: The bulk seed is divided into smaller lots and grown in preliminary yield trial along with control variety. Dissimilar phenotypes are rejected. High yielding plots are selected.

Third to Sixth Season: With the selected lots conduct yield trials along with appropriate check or control. Select the best one and release it as a variety.