Merits and Demeritsof Clonal Selection

Merits and Demerits of Clonal Selection

Merits of Clonal Selection:

1. It is the only method of selection applicable to clonal crops. It avoids inbreeding and preserves the genes combinations present in clones.
2. Clonal selection can be combined with hybridization to generate the necessary variability for selection.
3. The selection scheme is useful in maintaining the purity of clones.

Demerits of Clonal Selection:

1. This utilizes the natural variability already present in the population and never creates variability.
2. Sexual reproduction is necessary for the creation of variability through hybridization.