What is recombination? Discuss the applications of recombination from the point of view of genetic engineering.
Recombination refers to the generation of a new combination of genes which is different from the parental types. It is produced due to crossing over that occurs during meiosis prior to gamete formation. Applications of recombination: It is a means of introducing new combinations of genes and hence new traits. It increases variability which is useful for natural selection under changing environment. It is used for preparing linkage chromosome maps. It has proved that genes lie in a linear fashion in the chromosome. Breeders have to select small or large population for obtaining the required cross-overs. For obtaining cross-overs between closely linked genes, a very large population is required. Useful recombinations produced by crossing over are picked up by breeders to produce useful new varieties of crop plants and animals. Green revolution and white revolution were implemented using the selective recombination technique.
