The selection of parents to get desirable characteristics in offspring is known as:

The process referred to in this question is selective breeding, which involves the intentional mating of plants or animals to produce offspring with specific desirable traits. By choosing parent organisms that exhibit those preferred characteristics, breeders aim to enhance certain features in the next generation, such as increased yield, disease resistance, or specific physical traits.

Selective breeding has been practiced for centuries and has significantly influenced agriculture, leading to improved crop varieties and livestock. This method relies on understanding the hereditary patterns and using those insights to create desired outcomes over successive generations.

In contrast, genetic engineering involves directly manipulating an organism's DNA to achieve specific traits, which is a different approach compared to the more traditional method of selective breeding. Hybridization refers to the process of crossing different species or varieties to produce hybrids, which may inherit traits from both parents but is not solely focused on selecting for specific desirable traits over generations. Mutation breeding relies on inducing genetic mutations to create new traits, again differing from the targeted selection inherent in selective breeding.