Use of heterosis

• Heterosis has been exploited at commercial scale both in plants and animals. But in animals, it is not as much common as in plants.
• The main reason for it are longer life cycle, sexuality and insufficient understanding of complex genetic architecture of higher animals.
• Heterosis is being exploited in crop plants, ornamentals and fruit crops commercially.
• It is more important in vegetatively propagated perennial plants . For example, in fruits and ornamentals, if once heterosis is achieved, it may be maintained for long.
• It is generally exploited in cross pollinated crops in the form of hybrids, composites and synthetic seeds. (For more details consult a book on ‘plant breeding’).