AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH FOR DEFINING PLANT BREEDING

Abstract

Currently, the definition of plant breeding most widely accepted by breeders describes breeding as the art and science of improving plant heredity to benefit mankind. According to the proponents of this definition, the art lies in the intuition, discernment or ability of the breeder to identify superior phenotypes, or in their capacity for making better decisions, etc.; while, the science of plant breeding, lies in applying the knowledge of various fields of science so that the breeder can achieve his goals. This study proposes an alternative approach for defining plant breeding. Considering that the various actions taken by breeders when carrying out their work depend on human cognition and emotion, it is suggested that breeding be defined as a science in which cognitive and emotional processes are employed to modify a plant genotype in order to make the plants more useful to man.