mating animals so that they produce a baby that has the characteristics that the farmer or rancher wants.
This process allows for the transfer of only one or a few desirable genes, thereby permitting scientists to develop crops with specific beneficial traits and those without undesirable traits. Current technology allows scientists to alter one plant characteristic at a time, thereby not spending years trying to develop the tastiest and hardiest plants.
Process by which human beings rear animals and plants with particular traits that an organism will pass on to offspring. For example, in oysters, breeding for resistance to disease or for faster growth.
A program of breeding that uses animals that possess or display desirable traits as parents.
(s&-'lek-tiv 'brEd) — the conscious choice of one trait (or one plant) over a different plant. This has been done for thousands of years and is best demonstrated in Gregor Mendel's pioneering work on pea plants — through which he learned that green parent plants produce green offspring, whereas two different plants, green and yellow, produce an assortment of various-colored offspring.
The intentional selection of individual spawner's in artificial production programs to produce particular traits in subsequent generations.
Selecting certain individual animals to be the parents of the next generation, based on desired characteristics.
A process in which new or improved strains of plants or animals are developed, mainly through controlled mating or crossing and selection of progeny for desired traits.
humans choosing which animals and plants to breed from to produce organisms with the characteristics we want.
A human-controlled breeding programme in which specific plants or animals are chosen to breed (produce offspring) because they have particularly useful or valuable features. The aim is to produce offspring with specific characteristics.
breeding an organism that has a desirable trait with another so that the desirable trait is passed to the next generation.
The selection of individuals with desirable traits for use in breeding. Over many generations, the practice leads to the development of strains with the desired characteristics.
Making deliberate crosses; or mating of organisms so that the offspring will have a desired characteristic derived from the parents.
The breeding of selected plants or animals to enhance the probability of desirable characteristics in the offspring.
The selection of certain seeds or animals for reproduction in order to influence the traits inherited by the next generation.
A way of producing off spring with certain desired qualities, such as high milk production by choosing animals with that quality to become parents.
Making deliberate crosses or matings of organisms so the offspring will have a desired characteristic derived from one of the parents.
Intentional mating two dogs in order to achieve or eliminate a specific trait.
A method of studying genetic influences by mating animals that display certain traits and selecting for breeding from among their offspring those that express the trait. If the trait is primarily determined by heredity, continued selection for a number of generations will produce a strain that breeds true for that trait.
