How do exploration and germplasm collection aid crop improvement programmes?
Exploration and germplasm collection are primarily aimed to augment the diversity in plant genetic resources (PGR) which are the basic raw materials to meet the current and future requirements of crop improvement programmes. The continued availability of PGR with breeders is necessary not only for sustaining crop productivity but also for stabilizing production in the country. These resources of known or potential use to man constitute a broad spectrum of diverse gene pools representing assemblage of landraces, primitive cultivars, varieties of traditional agriculture as well as wild and weedy relatives of crop plants. A wider genetic base, thus, helps the breeders in the development of improved crop varieties designed to combine high yield potential with superior quality, resistance to diseases and pests, and also better adaptation to abiotic stress environments. The collection and conservation of prevailing diversity in a systematic manner is the primary responsibility of all plant g
