98. Knežević D., Kondić D., Marković S., Mićić N., Đurić G. (2013): BREEDING FOR CROP IMPROVEMENT Book of proceedings “Agrosym 2013” 10.7251/ AGSY1303441K, p: 441 – 448.
In a frame of plant breeding are developed different methodologies directed towards genotypes improvement. Thousand years ago, a man practiced selection through domestication, cultivation and production plants that have more desirable traits than wild plants. Cultivated crop species selected from wild populations is called a landrace. Creation of new cultivars has been done by using of simply plants selection techniques choosing desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular techniques. Conventional breeding is based on homologous recombination between chromosomes to generate genetic diversity. Also, breeders may use a number of in vitro techniques such as protoplast fusion, embryo rescue or mutagenesis to generate diversity and produce hybrid plants that does not exist in nature. Breeders have the task to incorporate into crop plants improved traits: quality and yield, tolerance to salinity, extreme temperatures, drought, resistance to viruses, fungi and bacteria, increased tolerance to insect pests and herbicides. The most cultivars are created by crossing two parents. Created cultivars have changes of architecture, ripening time, productivity. Soil moisture is the most limiting factor in dry land agriculture. It is lost as evaporation from the soil surface and as transpiration from the plant surfaces. Technology growing and soil fertilization related to productivity of plants. The evaporation losses can be reduced by mulches, antitranspirants, wind breaks, weed control. In the coming future with climatic changes are necessary protected wild relative species and other existing genetic resources in nature and gene bank for successful breeding.