Plant Breeding and Crop Improvement: Principles, Methods and Practices is a comprehensive textbook designed to provide a systematic understanding of the principles, methodologies, and contemporary approaches used in plant breeding and crop improvement. The book is based on the syllabus developed by the VIth Dean Committee and is particularly relevant to undergraduate and postgraduate students of agriculture, horticulture, plant sciences, and allied disciplines.

The book begins with the historical development, concepts, nature, and role of plant breeding, and gradually develops the reader’s understanding of genetics, reproduction, genetic variability, heritability, selection, hybridization, and breeding methods. It covers breeding approaches for self-pollinated, cross-pollinated, and asexually propagated crops, along with important concepts such as heterosis, inbreeding depression, mutation breeding, polyploidy, wide hybridization, and pre-breeding.

A significant feature of the book is its inclusion of modern plant-breeding technologies. Molecular markers, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, QTL analysis, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), doubled haploid technology, genomic prediction, speed breeding, and genome-editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas systems are introduced to connect conventional breeding principles with current advances in crop improvement.

The book also addresses major challenges facing modern agriculture, particularly the development of crops capable of performing under drought, salinity, heat, cold, flooding, and other abiotic stresses. It highlights the importance of developing resilient crop varieties in response to climate change, resource limitations, changing pest and disease pressures, and the increasing demand for food.

The final sections extend beyond conventional breeding to include participatory plant breeding and intellectual property rights, giving students an understanding of farmer participation, local adaptation, commercialization, protection of innovations, and the broader institutional dimensions of crop improvement.

Written in a structured and accessible manner, the book incorporates scientific literature, recent developments, illustrations, diagrams, and tables to support learning and analytical thinking. It is intended not only as a textbook for students but also as a useful reference for researchers, teachers, breeders, extension personnel, and professionals working in crop improvement.

Key Features

• Based on the VIth Dean Committee syllabus.

• Covers 21 chapters on plant breeding and crop improvement.

• Presents fundamental principles alongside modern breeding technologies.

• Covers conventional, molecular, genomic and genome-editing approaches.

• Includes breeding for abiotic stress tolerance and climate resilience.

• Discusses participatory plant breeding and intellectual property rights.

• Suitable for UG and PG students of agriculture, horticulture and plant sciences.

• Useful as a reference for teachers, researchers, breeders and extension professionals.

Overall, the book provides a bridge between the classical foundations of plant breeding and emerging technologies in modern crop improvement, with an emphasis on developing productive, resilient, nutritionally improved, and environmentally adaptable crops.

Kamaluddin, Professor, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology Banda, Uttar Pradesh, India

Vijay Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology Banda, Uttar Pradesh, India

Chapter 1. The Historical Development, Concepts, Nature, Role of Plant Breeding, Major Achievements and Future Prospects
Pawan Kumar Prajapati, Priya Sharma, Mohd Irshad Ali, Vijay Sharma, Mukul Kumar and Shalesh Kumar Singh

Chapter 2. The Relationship Between Genetics and Plant Breeding
Apurva Verma, Suchismita Chatterjee and Preeti Sagar

Chapter 3. Mode of Reproduction and Apomixis
Harsh Jainth, Nitin Kumar, Shalesh Kumar Singh, Vijay Sharma and Kamaluddin

Chapter 4. Self-Incompatibility, Their Genetic Consequence, and Application in Crop Improvement
Javed, Soni Yadav, Yatharth Mishra, Padmini Ganga and Moh Irshad Ali

Chapter 5. Male Sterility, Their Genetic Consequences, and Applications in Crop Improvement
Javed, Soni Yadav, Padmini Ganga, Moh Irshad Ali and Yatharth Mishra

Chapter 6. Introduction and Domestication: Plant Breeding
Sharad Singh, Ruchi Singh, Vinay Kumar, Anamish Tyagi and Shivam Kushwaha

Chapter 7. Component of Genetic Variation; Heritability and Genetic Advance
Shivam Kushwaha, Vinay Kumar, Anamish Tyagi, Aman Shrivastav and Pragya

Chapter 8. Genetics Basis and Breeding Method in Self-Pollinated Crops
Mukul, Vijay Sharma, Chirag and Harsh Jainth

Chapter 9. Genetic Basis and Methods of Breeding Cross-Pollinated Crops
Kirti Singh, Suraj Muttepawar, Sachin Yadav and Vaibhav Chauhan

Chapter 10. Hybridization Techniques and Handling of Segregating Population, Multiline Concepts
Gyan Prakash Pandey, Aman Srivastava, Richa Kumari and Nitin Kumar

Chapter 11. Concept of Population Genetics and Hardy-Weinberg Law
Shivam Kushwaha, Vinay Kumar, Anamish Tyagi and Pragya Ruchi Singh

Chapter 12. Population Improvement Scheme: Ear to Row Method, Modified Ear to Row, Recurrent Selection Schemes
Poonam Sharma, Uma Bharti, Anamish Tyagi and Aman Srivastava

Chapter 13. Heterosis and Inbreeding Depression
Shashi Kant, Niharika Yaduvanshi and Shweta

Chapter 14. The Development of Inbred Lines, Hybrids, Synthetic and Composite Varieties
Vinay Kumar, Shivam Kushwaha, Shiva Nath, Shivam Yadav and Arvind Yadav

Chapter 15. Mutation Breeding in Crops
G.M. Lal and Kamaluddin

Chapter 16. Wide Hybridization and Pre-breeding
Apurva Verma, Suchismita Chatterjee, Preeti Sagar and Jitendra Kumar Meena

Chapter 17. Breeding Methods in Asexually Propagated Crops
G.M. Lal and Kamaluddin

Chapter 18. Introduction to Polyploidy in Plant Breeding
G M Lal, Nitin Kumar and Kamaluddin

Chapter 19. Breeding for Important Abiotic Stresses
Soni Yadav, Priya, Aman Srivatava, Anamish Tyagi and Ruchi Singh

Chapter 20. Participatory Plant Breeding
Vinay Kumar, Shivam Kushwaha, Ruchi Singh, Nitin Kumar and Sharad Singh

Chapter 21. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
Anamish Tyagi, Aman Srivastava, Nitin Kumar, Nikki and Shivam Kaushik