Principles of Plant Breeding

Estimation cross pollination in plants

• Estimation cross pollination in plants After knowing the mode of pollination, the percentage of natural cross pollination can be determined by using certain simple inherited genetic characters determined by dominant alleles. Two varieties of the same crop having contrasting characters are to be selected. One variety may possess red flowers (dominant and another variety may possess white flowers (recessive). Theseplants with recessive trait are planted in a plot which is again surrounded by plants having dominant characters. The plants are allowed for open pollination. Then seeds are harvested only from plants carrying recessive character and sown next year. The number of plants is counted and the percentage of natural crossing is worked out with the following formula.
                                                                     Number of plants showing the dominant character % of natural crossing
                                                          =  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                    Total number of plants