BACK CROSS Meaning and
Definition
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The term "back cross" refers to a breeding technique widely used in genetics and agriculture. It involves crossing an offspring with one of its parents or an individual from the parental generation. This is done to enhance or preserve specific traits that the parent possesses. Typically, the offspring used for backcrossing carries a desirable trait, such as high yield, disease resistance, or a particular phenotype.
The primary objective of back crossing is to increase the frequency of the desired trait in subsequent generations while retaining other favorable characteristics from the original parent. By reintroducing the chosen parent's genetic material through successive generations, breeders aim to fix or stabilize the desired trait and eliminate undesired ones accumulated in subsequent generations.
Backcrossing is widely employed in plant breeding, particularly in the development of crop varieties with improved traits. It allows breeders to combine the desirable qualities of the original parent with the advantageous qualities developed in the second parent or subsequent generations. This process helps maintain genetic diversity while increasing the chances of producing desirable offspring.
In animal breeding, backcrossing is also utilized to consolidate specific traits in livestock and pets. For example, breeders may backcross a crossbreed dog with a purebred parent to maintain particular physical characteristics or temperament traits.
Overall, backcrossing plays a vital role in the improvement of genetic traits and the creation of new varieties in both plant and animal breeding, allowing breeders to produce offspring with enhanced qualities while retaining the favorable attributes of the chosen parent.
Common Misspellings for BACK CROSS
- backcross
- vack cross
- nack cross
- hack cross
- gack cross
- bzck cross
- bsck cross
- bwck cross
- bqck cross
- baxk cross
- bavk cross
- bafk cross
- badk cross
- bacj cross
- bacm cross
- bacl cross
- baco cross
- baci cross
- back xross
- back vross
- back fross
Etymology of BACK CROSS
The term "back cross" refers to a breeding technique primarily used in genetics. However, it is not derived from etymology, as it is a compound noun made up of two English words.
The word "back" is derived from Old English "bæc", which is akin to the Old High German "bah" and means "the rear part of the human body". It has been used in English since the 15th century.
The word "cross" comes from the Old English "cros", which originally referred to the instrument of crucifixion but later broadened to mean "a marking like a cross", and eventually to denote the intersection of two lines or objects. It has been used in English since the 11th century.
Together, "back cross" simply refers to the act of crossing an individual from one generation with its parent or an ancestor.
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