The plant breeder usually has in mind an ideal plant that combines a maximum number of desirable characteristics. These characteristics may include resistance to diseases and insects; tolerance to heat and frost; appropriate size, shape, and time to maturity; and many other general and specific traits that contribute to improved adaptation to the environment, ease in growing and handling, greater yield, and better quality. The breeder of fancy show plants must also consider aesthetic appeal. Thus the breeder can rarely focus attention on any one characteristic but must take into account the manifold traits that make the plant more useful in fulfilling the purpose for which it is grown.
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