What is Plant Breeding?

Plant breeding is the act of bringing together two specific parent plants to produce a new “offspring” plant. This “cross” creates a new plant that will contain a mixture of the characteristics of its parents – much like children have a combination of both their parents’ characteristics.

In the past, this work was done in greenhouses and fields, and could be very time-consuming. But with today’s technologies our plant breeders can see the DNA and genetics of plants and make more informed decisions earlier in the breeding process. By the time they get into field research trials, they have already pre-screened and eliminated the least powerful breeding stock.

Our Competitive Advantage

Monsanto can continuously deliver unique combinations of new traits and genetics through a combination of seed chipping and molecular breeding. What is remarkable about this process is we can analyze each seed before planting and only plant the seeds with product potential—greatly improving the efficiency of the breeding process and the quality of the plants.

Molecular Breeding

Molecular breeding, in practice, creates an inventory of a plant’s genes and what those genes do. Once the DNA tied to those genes are identified (known as markers), our scientists can use those markers to tell which plants we want to use to breed the next generation of high-performing plants. It’s like going from using a compass to a GPS system, tremendously cutting down on time and resources.

Seed Chipping

Our seed chippers, designed by Monsanto engineers, allow us to determine the genetics of a seed without destroying the seed itself. The chipper sorts and rotates a seed so a tiny tissue sample can be shaved off to be analyzed. If that seed contains the genetic traits we desire, the seed is still viable, so a breeder can plant it in a field test and use it in the breeding process to create more seeds of its kind.

Using technologies and scientific knowledge of today and applying it to the age-old practice of breeding allows us to find the best-of-the-best germplasm, or genetics, and get high-performing seeds to farmers’ fields – faster. Compared to conventional breeding, our breeding program today is doubling the rate of improvement in key genetic characteristics such as yield and important agronomic traits, which can help agriculture be more sustainable.