The Impact of Pre-Breeding on Vegetable Crop Improvement: A Review

Pre-breeding begins with the finding of beneficial genes from wild relatives, native species, and various other unadapted materials. These advantageous qualities are subsequently transferred to a moderate pool of resources so that breeders can create new varieties for farmers. With the process of discovering useful characteristics, preserving their genetic diversity, and incorporating these genes into a form that can be used, crop improvement innovation is generated. Connecting genetic diversity from wild relatives along with other uncontrolled sources is the main goal. Pre-breeding strategies aim to introduce genes for tolerance to environmental difficulties and resistance to major diseases and pests from wild relatives into cultivated crops using the application of introgression and integration procedures. Pre-breeding provides the base for commercially important techniques for plant breeding by broadening the diversity of germplasm and providing breeders with easily accessible resources to breeding beneficial characteristics, while adhering to the basic concepts of the field. The comprehensive discussion of pre-breeding is a valuable resource for scientists and researchers alike, addressing all aspects of this crucial phase in improving vegetable crops.