2023, Vol. 8, Special Issue 5

Indian farming is heavily reliant on crops and livestock because the majority of our population relies on them for a living. Our population is always growing (it may reach 1400 million by 2025), and the animal population is growing as well. As the animal population grows, so does the demand for fodder during the peak months of the year. Because livestock is heavily dependent on the crop wastes. It is necessary to breed variations which reveals that milk and meat w production will expand 2.8 and 3.3 percent every year, respectively, while the cattle population, which is now about 500 million, will rise at a rate of 1.23 percent per year. Livestock production accounts for 7% of India's national GDP (source: employment and sustenance for 70% of rural population). The Crop Improvement Division was founded in 1967 with the purpose of improving the forage production and nutritional properties of diverse farmed and pasture species from various agro-climatic areas in India by using alien and indigenous genetic resources via breeding and selection. Fodder crop enhancement necessitates a multidisciplinary integrated strategy to cultivating high-yielding cultivars, as well as the creation of materials and information through strategic and fundamental research. Cultivated cereal/grain crops, annual legumes, and perennial grasses (cultivated/rainfed), and range legumes are the main fodder crops.

Polyploidy is a major evolutionary force in both wild and cultivated plants. Polyploid organisms are typically more vigorous and, in certain situations, outperform their diploid counterparts in a number of ways. Over the last century, many plant breeders have focused on the extraordinary superiority of polyploids, inducing polyploidy and/or using natural polyploids in a variety of methods to develop ever-improving plant cultivars. The ''Gigas'' effect, buffering of harmful mutations, enhanced heterozygosity, and heterosis (hybrid vigour) are some of the most important impacts of polyploidy for plant breeding. In terms of tools, cultivars with higher production levels, improved product quality, and increased resistance to both biotic and abiotic stressors have been developed. Green fodder is vital for animal health, which ultimately decides animal output in terms of milk and meat. To meet the projected demand, we must boost production, utilise untapped feed resources, increase land area (not for human use), and imports. To fulfil expected demand, the green forage supply must expand at a 3.2% annual rate. Because of ongoing pressure to cultivate commercial and human-use crops, the gap between demand and supply of fodder is widening. The only way to close the demand-supply imbalance is through genetic enhancement of fodder crops. Before beginning any breeding plan with forage crops, it is critical to understand their breeding behaviour and constraints, as they differ from other crops.

When crossing between two species is impossible owing to ploidy level discrepancies, polyploids can operate as a bridge for gene transfer. Furthermore, polyploidy often results in lower fertility due to meiotic mistakes, permitting the development of seedless cultivars. Wheat is the greatest example of a naturally polyploid plant. Triticale was the first man-made polyploidy, generated by mixing tetraploid wheat with diploid rye. Triticale is presently grown in 37 countries, generating 17.1 million tonnes in total. Auto polyploids play a vital role in fruit growth, particularly seedless fruit formation, which triploid polyploids such as Watermelon, Guava, and Grape create. Polyploidy has a huge impact on production. Polyploidy has a substantial influence on agricultural yield, including strawberries, cabbage, chrysanthemums, and roses. Every year, the gift of polyploidy cotton and sugarcane provides us with a high productivity.