Double Haploid Production in crop plants

Double haploid (DH) production is a technique used in plant breeding to produce pure breeding lines quickly. Typically, a haploid plant (with half the usual number of chromosomes) is generated, often through the manipulation of the plant’s reproductive processes, such as through tissue culture techniques. These haploid plants are then induced to double their chromosome number, resulting in a double haploid plant with a complete set of chromosomes from a single parent. This process essentially bypasses the need for repeated rounds of selfing or inbreeding to create homozygous lines, accelerating the breeding process. DH lines are particularly useful in plant breeding programs aiming for the development of new cultivars with desirable traits.