Part I : General considerations -- Introduction to plant breeding -- Domestication and germplasm conservation -- Plant introduction -- Modes of reproduction in crop plants -- Pollination control I. Self-incompatibility and apomixis -- Pollination control II. Male sterility -- Qualitative and quantitative characters -- Biometrical techniques in plant breeding -- Part II : Principles : Self-Pollinated crops -- Selection in self-pollinated crops -- Hybridization : Techniques and consequences -- Part III : Principles : Cross-pollinated crops -- Genetic composition of cross-pollinated populations -- Selection in cross-pollinated crops -- Heterosis and inbreeding depression -- Part IV : Methods : Self-pollinated crops -- Mass selection -- Purelines selection -- Pedigree selection -- Bulk method -- Backcross method -- Other approaches to breeding of self-pollinated crops -- Effectiveness of different methods for handling of segregating generations -- Part V : Methods : Cross-pollinated crops -- Population improvement -- Hybrid varieties -- Part VI : Methods : Clonal crops -- Clonal selection and hybridization -- Part VII : Methods : Stress resistance -- Breeding for resistance to abiotic stresses I. Drought resistance -- Breeding for resistance to abiotic stresses II.Mineral stresses (Salinity, Mineral Deficiency and mineral toxicity) -- Breeding for resistance to abiotic stresses III. Heat and cold resistance -- Breeding for resistance to biotic stresses I. Disease resistance -- Breeding for resistance to biotic stresses II. Insect resistance -- Part VIII : Methods : Special approaches -- Ideotype concept in crop improvement -- Breeding for quality I. Protein quality -- Breeding for quality I. Oil quality -- Mutations in crop improvement -- Polyploidy in plant breeding -- Distant hybridization in plant breeding -- Biotechnology in crop improvement I. Tissue culture technology -- Biotechnology in crop improvement II. Transgenic technology -- Molecular markers in plant breeding I. Markers and marker-train associations -- Molecular markers in plant breeding II. Applications of molecular markers -- Part IX : Evaluation and multiplication -- Release of new varieties -- Quality seed -- Part X : Miscellaneous considerations -- Organisations for crop improvement in India -- International institutes for crop improvement --Intellectual property rights.