Explain how selective breeding could be used to produce a new variety of wheat plant that is resistant to disease.

Eduqas GCSE Biology — 7.4 Selective breeding and gene technology · Explain · 4 marks · View as Markdown

Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).

Model answer (4 marks)

Select wheat plants that show resistance to disease as parents.
Cross these selected resistant plants together.
Select the offspring that show the greatest disease resistance.
Repeat the process over many generations until all plants are disease resistant.

Examiner tips

Use the word ‘select’ and ‘cross’ to show understanding of breeding steps.
Show the iterative nature – mention ‘many generations’ to hit all marks.
Use UK spelling (e.g., ‘resistant’).

Common mistakes

Omitting the step of selecting offspring for resistance.
Using ‘breed’ instead of ‘cross’ or not specifying parents.
Failing to mention the need for multiple generations.

Mark scheme (4 marks)

Select/identify wheat plants that show resistance to disease (as parents)
Breed/cross these selected resistant plants together
Select the offspring that show the greatest disease resistance
Repeat the process over many generations until all plants are disease resistant

Key terms in this question

selective breeding