Читать книгу Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding - George Acquaah - Страница 52

It is estimated that it takes about 7–12 years (or even longer) to complete (cultivar release) a breeding program for annual cultivars such as corn, wheat, and soybeans, and much longer for tree crops. The use of molecular techniques to facilitate the selection process may reduce the time for plant breeding in some cases. The use of tissue culture can reduce the length of breeding programs of perennial species. Nonetheless, the development of new cultivars may cost from hundreds of thousands of dollars to even several million dollars. The cost of cultivar development can be much higher if proprietary material is involved. Genetically engineered parental stock attracts a steep fee to use because of the costs involved in their creation. The cost of breeding also depends on where and by whom the activity is being conducted. Because of high overheads, similar products can be produced by breeders in developed and developing economies, but for dramatically higher cost in the former. Cheap labor in developing countries can allow breeders to produce hybrids of some self‐pollinated species less expensively, because they can afford to pay for hand pollination (e.g. cotton in India).