Selecting plants with favorable or suitable variations is the second step in hybridization. In fact, in earlier days, selection was the only method of breeding. During the pre Mendelian era, selection was primarily based on phenotypic variations.

But as we know today, phenotypic selections may not breed true, off they could be heterozygote. Selection practiced now a day is exact and based on the genetic mechanism for a particular trait. Among the various individuals of a species growing in a Field, few are picked based on their phenotype.

Subsequently they are interbred and several generations of progenies are raised in order to find out whether the plant breeds true for the chosen character. There are two types of selection – Single plant selection and mass selection.

In single plant or pure line selection, several individual plants with superior phenotype are selected.

Usually a large number of plants are selected and are sown in separate lines. From these progeny, again individual plants are selected with the desired character. This is called Progeny testing.