Hybrid Sorting in Haploid Breeding - One of the essential steps in haploid breeding involves selection of superior plants among haploids derived from F1 hybrids through anther culture. It is popularly described as hybrid sorting and virtually means selection of recombinant superior gametes.

The haploid method of breeding involving hybrid sorting is considered superior over pedigree and bulk methods, firstly because the frequency of superior gametes is higher than the frequency of corresponding superior plants in F2 generation, and secondly because haploid breeding reduces significantly the time required for development of a new variety (see later).

Haploids have also been successfully utilized for breeding of barley, maize, sugarcane, oilseed rape or canola (B. napus), bell peppers and some other crops.

In barley, atleast two varieties (Mingo, Gwylan) have been produced in Canada using haploids derived through bulbosum technique of chromosome elimination.

The varieties were superior for characters like disease resistance (against powdery mildew and barley yellow mosaic virus) and other yield contributing traits. Similarly, in maize superior inbred lines were developed through screening of haploids derived from anther culture in a hybrid. In sugarcane, selection among anther-culture derived haploids led to the development of superior lines with tall stem and higher sugar content.

In India, no variety in any crop has so far been developed through haploid breeding. Even at an international level the emphasis on haploid breeding has gone down in recent years, partly due to failure in achieving the expected targets and partly due to shift in emphasis towards plant breeding based on molecular mapping.