New breed of sheep is developed by :

The correct answer is Option (1) → Cross breeding

Option (1) Cross breeding — Correct. Superior males of one breed are mated with superior females of another, so the good qualities of two breeds are combined. Hisardale, a new breed of sheep, was made in Punjab by crossing Bikaneri ewes and Marino rams.

Option (2) Inbreeding — Incorrect. Inbreeding mates related animals of the same breed; it makes purelines, not new breeds.

Option (3) Outcrossing — Incorrect. Out-crossing mates animals of the same breed with no common ancestors; it helps overcome inbreeding depression.

Option (4) Interspecific hybridisation — Incorrect. This crosses two different species, as in the mule (horse × donkey).

Note 1: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 05-06-2023 (Slot 3).

Note 2: This question is from Chapter 9, Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production, of the pre-rationalised NCERT book. This chapter is not in the present NCERT book (2026-27). The extract below is from the pre-rationalised edition.

NCERT Extract (Pre-rationalised edition, Chapter 9, Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production):
Animal Breeding – “… Cross-breeding: In this method, superior males of one breed are mated with superior females of another breed. Cross-breeding allows the desirable qualities of two different breeds to be combined. The progeny hybrid animals may themselves be used for commercial production. Alternatively, they may be subjected to some form of inbreeding and selection to develop new stable breeds that may be superior to the existing breeds. Many new animal breeds have been developed by this approach. Hisardale is a new breed of sheep developed in Punjab by crossing Bikaneri ewes and Marino rams.”