Question

How did plant techniques help north Indian farmers to develop cane with desired characters?

Answer 1

Hint: Clonal selection and hybridization are the most suitable techniques used by North Indian farmers to develop cane with desired characteristics. Clonal selection helps to select desirable clones from the genetically mixed population like the selection of plants with high yield. Hybridization helps to get desired characteristics.

Complete answer:
Basically clone is a progeny of a single plant obtained by sexual reproduction. Clonal selection is the procedure in which the selection of the most desirable members of a clone is selected for continued vegetative propagation rather than sexual reproduction. By the help of Clonal selection and vegetative propagation, the desired characteristics of plants can be maintained for a long time.
In the late 19th century, breeders made modern sugarcane cultivars, which are the product of crosses between species of Saccharum. Saccharum officinarum, S. spontaneum, are the most important species contributing in the modern sugarcane varieties and are widely cultivated for its ability to gather sucrose in its stalks and also contains disease resistance and stress resistance genes. S. spontaneum is a vigorous, wild species which contains genes for stress and disease resistance. S. sinense, S. barberi and S. robustum are the species which are also providing minor contributions towards the development of some modern sugarcane varieties.

Note: Procedure of Clonal selection involves selection and multiplication of superior clones. Superior clones are isolated from local variety, introduced verity and intercrossed variety. The hybridization procedure involves three major steps: selection of parents, F1 progeny production, and selection of superior clones.