From Mendel to genomics, plant breeding milestones: a review.

Plant breeding has evolved from an intuitive strategy of choosing the best plants in the field to an exciting science of combining genes to improve desirable traits. Our objective with this paper is to review some of the most important discoveries and developments that had an impact on plant breeding. First, we present background information and then the milestones themselves. The topics were grouped into chapters to facilitate comprehension of their contribution to plant breeding. They are discussed within each chapter in a plant-breeding-oriented chronological way. When applicable, the definition, importance and evaluation of the topics are presente