Merits and Demerits for Plant Introduction Method of Breeding
Merits of Introduction:
It provides entirely new crops.
i) It provides superior variety directly after selection.
ii) It protects the variability from genetic erosion by collecting germplasm.
iii) It is a very quick and economical method of crop improvement.
iv) It provides protection to the crop by introducing into new disease free areas. E .g Coffee and rubber.
Demerits of Introduction:
i) Introduction of noxious weeds E. g Argemone Mexicana, Parthenium argantatum, water hyacinth, etc.
ii) Introduction of disease E. g Late blight of potato from Europe in 1883, flag smut of wheat from Australia and Bunchy top of Banana from Ceylon.
iii) Introduction of pests E. g Potato tuber moth from Italy.
iv) Ornamentals turned weeds E. g Water hyacinth and lantana camera.
v) Threat to Ecological balance, Eucalyptus sp. Introduced from Australia.