1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, S. V. Agricultural college, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh and Email bvrpreddy@gmail.com
2Department of Agronomy, Tamil Nadu Agricultural Unoversity, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu-641 003
Online published on 31 October, 2013.
To a major extent, organic farming depends currently on plant varieties that have been bred for non-organic farming and that are often not suited to organic production. This position is inconsistent with a holistic approach to organic agriculture. Organically-bred plant varieties are needed to develop both the potential of organic agriculture and its integrity. A first attempt at developing a concept for organic plant breeding methodology has been proposed. A novel approach to breeding for organic production has also been started. Further development needs a parallel approach to animal breeding for organic systems. This paper gives overview of the current practical and scientific challenges of plant breeding programmes for organic agriculture.
Organic, breeding, challenge
