Cultivar Development

This course aims to integrate concepts learned in other PBEA courses with emphasis on design of a process pipeline for continuous development of new improved cultivars as a means to implement the cycle of crop improvement. Essential topics in New Line Development and New Line Evaluation such as choice of parents, creation of progeny, and evaluation and selection of progeny, are addressed for different types of cultivars including pure line varieties, hybrids, and clonally propagated varieties. Introgression of value-added traits into elite lines is examined.  Furthermore, preparations needed for commercial launch of new improved cultivars are explored, including varietal registration, volume production of quality seed, seed testing, and intellectual property protection.  To maximize genetic gain and accelerate release of new products, ways to integrate and optimize effectiveness and efficiency of the process pipeline are analyzed. Students learn to design a process pipeline to produce improved cultivars that meet a specific product target which represents stakeholders’ needs.