Selective breeding of plants (non-statutory) | Science

Starter quiz

If something is desirable, it is …
- unwanted.
- wanted. ✓
- common.
- rare.
What is a parent plant?
- a seed that is ready to grow
- a seed that has just germinated
- a plant that has created offspring ✓
- a plant whose life cycle has ended
What is the name for plants that have been grown to be sold?
- seeds
- trees
- vegetables
- crops ✓
What are the characteristics of a living thing?
- its features ✓
- its age
- its habitat
- its food source
Match the part of the flower to the correct name.
- A
  
  ⇔
  
  ovary ✓
- B
  
  ⇔
  
  petal ✓
- C
  
  ⇔
  
  stigma ✓
- D
  
  ⇔
  
  anther ✓
Starting with the one that happens first, put the steps of animal pollination in the correct order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Pollen is made in a flower’s anthers.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  An animal visits the flower for nectar.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Pollen is brushed off onto the animal.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  The animal moves to another flower for more nectar.
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  Some pollen brushes off the animal onto the stigma.

Exit quiz

Pollination is when pollen is transferred ...
- from one flower to the anthers of a different type of plant.
- from the anthers of a flower to the petals of the same flower.
- from the anthers of one flower to the stigma of another flower. ✓
Plants grown from seeds have …
- exactly the same characteristics as the only parent plant.
- a combination of characteristics from both parent plants. ✓
- completely different characteristics to all parent plants.
What is selective breeding?
- taking cuttings from the best plants to create more identical plants
- choosing only the largest seeds to plant and germinate
- creating offspring using parents that have desirable characteristics ✓
For selective breeding, ______ pollination can be done by hand using parent plants with the most desirable characteristics.
- 'artificial' ✓
Selective breeding of plants can create new varieties of crop plants with desirable features such as …
- smaller volume of fruits.
- less tasty vegetables.
- resistance to disease. ✓
- more attractive flowers. ✓
Which two tomato plants might a farmer choose to artificially pollinate?
- a plant that grows very few tomatoes
- a plant that grows very large tomatoes ✓
- a plant that has very colourful leaves
- a plant that is highly resistant to pests ✓
- a plant that takes a very long time to grow tomatoes

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from one flower to the stigma of another flower.
Plant offspring grown from seeds will have a combination of characteristics of their two parent plants.
Selective breeding involves producing offspring from parents that have desirable characteristics.
Selective breeding can create new varieties of good crops, with higher resistance to pests and disease.
Artificial pollination can be done by hand to produce offspring with desired characteristics.

Common misconception

Pupils may not understand how plants of the same species can vary from one another and assume they are all the same because the differences are not obvious.

Explain that plants can have different characteristic within a species, such as size and shape of fruit or colour of flowers.

Keywords

Pollination - Pollination is the transfer of pollen from one flower to the stigma of another flower.
Parent plant - A parent plant is a plant that has reproduced and created offspring.
Characteristics - A characteristic is a feature or property of something that we can use to help identify it.
Offspring - Living things create offspring when they reproduce.
Artificial pollination - Artificial pollination is carried out by humans, and does not require the help of animals, such as insects, or the weather.