What is hybridisation? What are the ways by which it can be achieved
Answers
When a plant or animal is bred with a plant or animal from different stock, the process is known as hybridizationThere are numerous reasons to create hybrids, including increasing genetic diversity and breeding for specific traits. It is frequently practiced in agriculture, to make stronger, healthier plants with desirable characteristics. Animal breeders also use the process to create new breeds or to try to breed out unwanted traits, such as hip dysplasia in some purebred dogs. The most common type of hybridization involves crossing two organisms of different breeds within the same species. This is also called crossbreeding. In agriculture, it is used to create healthier crops or new flavors, such as the tangelo, a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo. In agriculture, it is vitally important to maintain genetic diversity, and by extension the health and longevity of a crop. Many large agricultural companies engage in monocropping, planting only one strain of one crop, which is very harmful for diversity and for the plant. Should the crop be susceptible to a particular fungus or insect, the whole field will be lost. Hybridized crops, on the other hand, tend to be more resistant to disease and infestation.