# Explain how selective breeding could be used to produce a new variety of wheat plant that has a higher resistance to fungal disease.

> Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1) — 5.2 Selective breeding · Explain · 4 marks

> Wheat crops worldwide are frequently damaged by fungal diseases, reducing yields. Farmers and plant breeders want to develop wheat varieties that can resist these diseases without relying on chemical pesticides.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. Identify and select wheat plants that show the greatest resistance to fungal disease (from the existing population)
2. Cross-breed / interbreed the selected resistant plants with each other
3. Select the offspring that show the greatest resistance to fungal disease and breed them together again
4. Repeat this process over many generations until offspring consistently show high resistance to fungal disease

## Key terms

- [selective breeding](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/selective-breeding)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/explain-how-selective-breeding-could-be-46a9e74f) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.