Heterosis Breeding in Vegetable Crops

Vegetable production in our country is primarily reliant on locally available genotypes or open-pollinated varieties, which have low yields and are susceptible to insect pests and diseases. This situation is largely due to the lack of knowledge and poor extension services among farmers. To address this issue, it is essential to cultivate vegetable hybrids that can increase productivity and quality. The development of hybrids from existing varieties not only boosts productivity but also helps to overcome various challenges faced by farmers. To achieve these goals, the authors have made an effort to provide information on the development of vegetable hybrids, including both theoretical and practical aspects, in the form of a book titled Heterosis Breeding in Vegetable Crops. This publication contains 17 chapters organized into two sections. The first section includes 10 chapters that cover the theoretical aspects of heterosis, such as the introduction to heterosis, the basis of heterosis, commercial exploitation of heterosis, reproduction, pollen, and pollen biotechnology, population improvement of parents/hybrids, genetic purity testing of hybrids, hybrid variety testing and release procedures in India, biotechnology, and vegetable improvement, intellectual property rights related issues in hybrid technology, and economics, import, and export. The second section consists of seven chapters that focus on practical aspects of hybrid seed production, such as solanaceous crops (tomato, brinjal, chilli, and bell pepper), malvaceous crops (okra), cole crops (cabbage and cauliflower), cucurbitaceous crops (bitter gourd, bottle gourd, cucumber, muskmelon, watermelon, pumpkin, ridged, and smooth gourd), root crops (carrot), bulb crops (onion), and hints for hybrid cultivation. All the chapters include references, illustrations, and tables, and the publication also contains the characteristics of national released hybrids with colored photographs. This book would be useful to teachers, scientists, students, extension workers, the vegetable industry, and farmers in our country.