Polyploidy is defined as having more than two sets of chromosomes, and it has long been recognized as a major driver of plant evolution and speciation. A creature with more than two haploid sets of chromosomes is known as a polyploid. Polyploidization has considerably aided plant breeding and agriculture improvement. Polyploidy is likely one of the most important mechanisms of plant adaptation, having been researched extensively over the previous century. It occurs frequently in both plants and mammals. One evolutionary mechanism aids speciation, diversification, and adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Polyploidy is currently an interesting research topic for understanding agricultural plant evolution and utilizing its diversity in crop breeding. The most common use of polyploidy is to overcome or remove sterility in hybrids created via interspecific or inter-generic hybridization or remote cross. Significant economic and societal benefits have resulted from the invention and application of polyploidy breeding. Polyploidy is induced in numerous agricultural plants using diverse ways. The purpose of this paper is to assess polyploidy, classification, and its application in plant breeding.

Key words: polyploidy, crop improvement, Autopolyploidy, Allopolyploidy, chromosome