Read the following statements (A -D) regarding testing, release and commercialisation of cultivars during a plant breeding programme?
Select the correct option stating true (T) and false (F).

A. The new cultivars are evaluated for their traits by growing them in the research fields.
B. Performance of new cultivars is recorded under ideal fertiliser application, irrigation and other crop management practices.
C. In farmer’s fields, testing of cultivars is done for one growing season.
D. The new cultivar is compared with the reference cultivars.

The correct option is A A - T, B - T, C - F, D - T
Plant breeding is the purposeful manipulation of plant species in order to create desired plant types that are better suited for cultivation.

The major steps in breeding a new variety of a crop are collection of variability, selection of parent plants with desirable combination of characteristics, cross hybridisation of selected parents, selection of superior hybrid progeny and finally the testing, release and commercialisation of new cultivars. Cultivar refers to a plant variety which is a product of plant breeding.

Hence, testing, release and commercialisation of cultivars is the last step in plant breeding.

In this step, the new cultivars are first evaluated for their yield and other desirable qualities like disease resistance and tolerance to environmental stresses (salinity, extreme temperatures, drought). The evaluation is performed by growing them in research fields under conditions like ideal fertiliser application and other crop management practices.

Hence statements A and B are true.

Once the new cultivars are grown successfully in the research field, they are now grown in farmer’s fields for at least three growing seasons across different parts of the country representing the various agroclimatic zones. So, statement C is false.

The new cultivar is evaluated in comparison to the best available local crop cultivar (check or reference cultivar) in terms of quality and cost. Hence statement D is true.