Pedigree method has certain advantages and applications which are listed below.
Applications of Pedigree Method
These are as follows
- Most commonly used in handling segregating generations from crosses in self pollinated crops and practice selection among them.
- Suitable for improving high heritability characters that are quick and easy to measure such as disease resistance, plant height, maturity.
- Used to improve an established variety for some specific character
Advantages of Pedigree Method
Merits of pedigree method are listed below
- Excellent method for improvement of easily observable, high heritability characters.
- As pedigree record is maintained, information regarding inheritance pattern of characters can be obtained as and when required.
- Each plant can be traced back to its parent plant.
- Only those progeny lines which contain plants with desired characters are selected for next generation. So there is scope for plant breeder’s skills.
- Progeny tests are done, thus it is based on genotypic value rather than phenotypic value.
- Increased breeding efficiency by early identification of superior heterogeneous populations
- Scope for transgressive segregation to occur for the characters like yield.
- New variety development takes short period as compared to bulk method.
Disadvantages of Pedigree Method
Demerits of pedigree method are as follows
- Costly
- Labor intensive.
- Requires skilled person as selection is practiced
- Pedigree record maintenance is time consuming.
- Selection for yield or other characters in F2 and F3 is ineffective.
- One important to note is genetic variation available for selection gets decreased in later generations due to the individual plant selection carried out earlier.
For steps involved in this method visit procedure for pedigree method