Many of our agricultural crops are propagated from seeds.  These
can be annual crops (e.g., lettuce, wheat) or perennials (e.g.,
alfalfa, red clover).  Seeds contain the genetic information to
produce the desired crop in a given environment.  Within a
specific crop (specific genus and species), there can be a large
amount of genetic diversity that can be manipulated through crop
breeding to develop specific varieties, or cultivars, with
traits that are enhanced or eliminated, depending on the goal. 
For example, breeders can select for a variety of spinach to be
more resistant to a disease, or for a tomato that ripens with
less heat units.  Similarly, breeding can eliminate undesirable
traits such as seed shatter, unpleasant flavors, and
unacceptable appearance.  Seeds are one of the easiest
technological changes for a grower to adopt and increased
emphasis on crop breeding for various sustainability attributes
continues to be extremely important to the food system.
Featured Seeds Publications  Additional Se