Method for constitution and production of multi-genotype colony varieties in crop plants

A method for constitution and production of multi-genotype colony varieties of a crop, comprising:

• a) selecting 3 or more parental lines of a crop according to at least one breeding goal selected from the group consisting of quality, yield, and resistance to pests and diseases, wherein the selection of a parental line varies according to the breeding goal;
• b) crossing the 3 or more parental lines with each other to form hybrids of the 3 or more parental lines;
• c) self-crossing the hybrids for a sufficient number of generations for the progeny of the self-crosses to undergo segregation and recombination to form a fundamental population of stable single-genotype lines, wherein each stable single-genotype line is genetically distinct from the other stable single-genotype lines in the population;
• d) characterizing the uniformity of each stable single-genotype line for selection, by evaluating growth duration and plant height of each stable single-genotype line;
• e) selecting, from the fundamental population, stable single-genotype lines that are uniform in growth duration and plant height, and share at least one trait suitable for the at least one breeding goal, thereby forming a colony variety;
• f) multiplying each stable single-genotype line in the colony variety separately to evaluate uniformity;
• g) eliminating from the colony variety any stable single-genotype line that is not uniform in growth duration and plant height, and share at least one trait suitable for the at least one breeding goal;
• and
• h) according to the at least one breeding goal, mixing seeds of each stable single-genotype line in the colony variety in a specific ratio to form preparations for planting, thereby forming the multi-genotype colony variety of the crop, wherein the multi-genotype colony variety exhibits commercial viability.