Next ' arrow above right. To navigate between Bytes, click on wavy 'Byte-helix' at the top. To go to a box, click on the title above Introduction Farmers have always sought ways to increase crop quality, productivity and reliability and, nowadays, variety, to satisfy consumer demands. In the Western world, agriculture has become more mechanized and less labour-intensive, with few people engaged in food production.
Farmers try to get the best yield and quality by selecting appropriate crop varieties.
Together with the responsible use of agrochemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, and carefully planned planting times and field use, this strategy is known as 'integrated crop management' and yields optimized results. Crops that are resistant to pests or herbicides, which will allow reduced or more selective use of agrochemicals. Crops that are better able to tolerate hostile environmental conditions such as frost or drought. New and more efficient crop-breeding systems that allow production of hybrids that cannot be produced by conventional plant breeding. Genetic improvement through traditional crop breeding The cultivation and improvement of food crops began centuries ago, when seeds from the most successful plants of one season were used to sow the next year's crop.