Ebooks

Welcome to the first volume of "Glimpses of PGR," a collection that encapsulates the essence and evolution of the PGR community. This anthology brings together a diverse range of works that highlight the creativity, insights, and unique perspectives of its members. Over the years, the PGR community has blossomed into a vibrant hub of intellectual exchange and artistic expression. Our members, hailing from various backgrounds and disciplines, contribute to a rich tapestry of thoughts and ideas. This volume is a testament to their dedication and talent. In compiling this volume, our aim was to capture the spirit of PGR—its commitment to fostering innovation, its celebration of diverse voices, and its unwavering pursuit of excellence. Each piece in this collection has been carefully selected to reflect these core values. From thought-provoking essays to imaginative short stories, from poignant poems to ground-breaking research, the works presented here offer a glimpse into the dynamic world of PGR. As you journey through these pages, you will encounter a wide array of themes and subjects. Some pieces may challenge your preconceptions, while others may inspire you to see the world from a new perspective. Together, they represent the collective wisdom and creativity of our community.

Introduction Rick (1984) used the term pre-breeding or developmental breeding to describe the same activity. Thus "genetic enhancement" or "pre-breeding" refers to the transfer or introgression of genes or gene combinations from unadapted sources into breeding materials (FAO, 1996) However, enhancement has been more popularly adopted by PGR scientists. It is an emerging concept emphasizing the use of plant genetic resources • To meet the market requirement, plant breeders have to develop improved cultivars. • Crop improvement has led to narrowing down of genetic base resulting in slower progress (genetic gain) in plant breeding and increased risk of genetic vulnerability Need for Genetic Enhancement • In improving the level of resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. • In improving quality characters such as fibre length, strength, fineness, maturity and uniformity. • In developing early maturing genotypes, which can fit well in multiple cropping systems. • In developing plant types suitable to machine picking etc. • Use of germplasm will help in broadening the genetic base of cultivars as well as in creating vast genetic variability.

PPVFR act is an effective system for protection of plant varieties, the rights of farmers and plant breeders and to encourage the development of new varieties of plants. Stimulate investment for research and development to produce new plant varieties.Facilitate the growth of the seed industry that will ensure the availability of high quality seeds and planting material to the farmers. Registration of a plant variety gives protection only in India. Provides the exclusive right to produce, sell, market, distribute, import, or export the variety. Milestones in Seed Sector • 1957- First AICRP • 1963 -NSC established • 1966 -Seed act passed • 1968- Operational • 1971- Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards adopted • 1975- GSSC established • 1977- AIC NSP launched • 1980- GSSCA Established • 2001- PPVFR Act passed

Mutation: Natural genetic variation has exhausted. Genetic variation can be induced by mutations or changes in the DNA sequences of the plants. Additional Tools for Plant Improvement Increase in yield with no additional lands available for cultivation depends on development of high yielding varieties suitable for marginal cultivation. • Food security • Nutritional security Need for additional tools to increase efficiency of breeding methods for genetic enhancement and propagation. • Genomics Genomics – Definition Genomics - Study of an organism's entire genome / full genetic complement of an organism.

Introduction It refers to all activities designed to identify materials that cannot be used directly in breeding programmes, and further to transfer these traits to an intermediate set of materials that breeders can use further in producing new varieties for farmers. It is a bridge between Genetic Resources and Crop Improvement. That is collaboration between germplasm curator and plant breeder. Crosses between adapted and exotic materials, where different proportions of introgression are obtained and evaluated, have been denominated as semi exotic materials. That should be readily used in regular breeding programme for cultivar development. Objectives of pre-breeding 8-10 Years • Improved germplasm and associated genetic knowledge that enhance resistance expression and diversity. • Reduce genetic uniformity in crops through the use of a wider pool of genetic material to increase yield, resistance to pests and diseases, and other quality traits. • Identification of desirable traits/genes and their subsequent transfer into a suitable set of parents for further selection. • Improved parental stocks which can be readily utilized within breeding programs and improved selection methodologies. • Identify potentially useful genes in a well-organized and documented gene bank Designing strategies that lead to development of an improved germplasm that are ready to use in varietal development.

Introduction The objec tive of genomic research in any species is to sequence the whole genome and to decipher functions of all the different coding and non-coding seq,uences. The technology for large-scale DNA sequencing has enabled the scientists to undertake genome sequencing project in a realistic time scale. Since the time of first ‘large’ genome sequencing in bacteriophage λ in 1983, the projects on different groups have been completed. Eg. Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Mus musculus, Pan troglodytes, Homo sapiens. There are certain species which have been chosen for genome projects as model organisms. A model organism is a non-human species that is used to understand biological phenomena with a thought of gaining insight into the working of other organisms. They are chosen on the basis of their small genome in size, diploid genetics with a few chromosomes, rapid life cycle, easily transformed, well positioned in plant phylogeny, small stature for plant growth in a small space, large number of seeds produced, convenient for discovery of gene-trait discovery at low cost and speed and well investigated. They include, • Monocots – Oryza sativa • Dicots – Arabidopsis thaliana • Temperate grasses – Brachypodium

Genomics-driven approaches to Genebank management • Pre-breeding can facilitate the characterization and utilization of PGRs. • Allele mining involves searching useful alleles of genes from a wide germplasm collection. • Transformation of germplasm collections into bio-digital resource centres like • DNA Barcoding, • DNA fingerprinting. Pre-breeding • Pre-breeding is the step before practical breeding. • Aim - To introduce new desirable traits/genes into an adapted genetic background. This will broaden the genetic base in a breeding material in pace with environmental changes.” • The main link between the germplasm conservation and its use in plant breeding • A vital contribution of pre-breeding is increasing the total genetic diversity in crops and finding specific genes and traits. • Main link between conservation of PGR in gene bank collections and utilisation of these resources in agriculture and horticulture. • Essential for linking genetic diversity arising from wild relatives and other unimproved materials for utilization. • These activities are a collaboration between germplasm curator and the plant breeder who need to work germplasm collections and how new traits from these collections can bred into new varieties.

Introduction • Thus "genetic enhancement" or "pre-breeding" refers to the transfer or introgression of genes or gene combinations from unadapted sources into breeding materials (FAO, 1996). • Genetic enhancement plays an important role in utilizing unadapted and unutilized germplasm collections and creating vast genetic variability for development of productive cultivars / hybrids. • Objective of Genetic Enhancement is broadening the genetic base and increases genetic diversity • Gene pool – Harlan and de Wet (1971). • Primary gene pool (GP-1): Members of this gene pool are probably in the same "species" (in conventional biological usage) and can intermate freely. • Secondary gene pool (GP-2): Members of this pool are probably normally classified as different species than the crop species under consideration (the primary gene pool). • Tertiary gene pool (GP-3): Members of this gene pool are more distantly related to the members of the primary gene pool. The primary and tertiary gene pools can be intermated, but gene transfer between them is impossible without the use of "rather extreme or radical measures such as embryo rescue (or embryo culture, a form of plant organ culture) induced polyploidy (chromosome doubling) bridging crosses (e.g., with members of the secondary gene pool).