ROLE OF SOMATIC CELL HYBRIDIZATION FOR CONTRIBUTION TO CROP IMPROVEMENT

Breeders have successfully leveraged genetic heterogeneity within the species to enhance crop quality. Large have been made to expand the current crop gene pool since, for modern plant breeding objectives, the variability found in a breeding population may not be sufficient. Mostly, sexual crossovers between distinct genotypes within or across closely related species have provided the basis for the introduction of novel features. The potential to alter and enhance food plants has been limited, though, as gene transfer has only been possible among sexually compatible species because of multiple reproductive hurdles. Only closely related species or even unrelated creatures may possess several desirable and intriguing agronomic traits. Much work has gone into locating, isolating, and transferring these genes into crops because they represent a potential genetic resource. Thanks to the quick advancement of somatic cell genetics, there are now ways to transmit genes across taxonomic boundaries and beyond sexual boundaries. Somatic hybridization is useful not just for the transfer of unknown genes but also for modifying and enhancing polygenic features. Furthermore, since a hybrid cell with a mixture of the two fusion partners is produced, somatic hybridization allows for the change of genetic material. Somatic hybridization is the process of creating hybrid plants by fusing the protoplasts of two distinct plant species or kinds; these hybrids are referred to as somatic hybrids. Thus, only in cases when all of the following two requirements are met—i) large-scale protoplast isolation and ii) totipotency of the separated protoplasts—can somatic hybridization be used. Generally speaking, somatic hybridization is a useful technique for improving crops and plant breeding by creating interspecific and intergeneric hybrids. Asexual and sterile plants can benefit from it, as can those whose sexual compatibility with other species is compromised.