Selective Breeding

Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans choose organisms with desirable characteristics and breed them together. Over many generations, this produces offspring with enhanced desired traits. In this lesson we cover the process, examples, advantages and disadvantages.

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What Is Selective Breeding?

Selective breeding is when humans — not nature — decide which organisms reproduce. Instead of environmental pressures determining which individuals survive and breed, humans choose the parents based on traits they want to enhance or combine.

Selective breeding has been practised for thousands of years, long before people understood genetics. Early farmers selected the best crop plants and the most productive animals for breeding.

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The Process of Selective Breeding

The basic process follows these steps:

Step 1: Identify the Desired Characteristic

Decide which trait you want to enhance. For example:

• Higher milk yield in cattle
• Larger fruit in tomato plants
• Docile temperament in dogs

Step 2: Select Parents

From the existing population, choose the male and female that show the desired characteristic most strongly.

Step 3: Breed the Selected Parents

Allow the chosen parents to mate (or cross-pollinate in plants).