ABSTRACT
Deputy Director (Regional Stations), Rubber Research Institute of India, Central Experiment Station, Chethackal, P.O Thompikandom, Ranni, Kerala-689676.
Email: rriipriya@gmail.com
A review on tree breeding is a formidable challenge, because trees fall under innumerable species, coming under a spectrum of genera, spanning to several families. Their breeding behaviour encompassing cross and self pollinations and incompatibility factors, make the breeding system complicated and their recalcitrance pose yet another bottle neck to breed them in keeping with to human needs. The quality and endurance of the wood of forest trees, the edibility of fruits and nuts of crops and the utility of industrial tree crops make the trees largely insuperable from the breeding point of view. While the forest tree species need to be improved as a population, the cultivated tree crops require improvement to derive varieties for seed borne species and clones for species that calls for vegetative propagation. Largely, commercially cultivated crops need improvement of breed or inbred lines. It is this disparity that reduces the scope of making a comprehensive account of a total tree breeding status.
