Implemented in a web application using the Shiny R package, Be-Breeder 2.0 does not require advanced mathematical or programming skills, or to be installed on a local computer. In addition, the user can save the numeric and graphical outputs. For the analyses where data input is required, example datasets are provided as text files in the Help option. Be-Breeder 2.0 comprises three main modules: Learning, Phenotypic Breeding, and Molecular Breeding. A great variety of analyses is considered, from field evaluation, data management, and molecular marker use to statistical analyses and the choice of breeding methods.Be-Breeder 2.0 is freely available at http:// vencovsky.esalq.usp.br:3838/shiny/be-breeder/, and the source code is hosted at https://github.com/filipema-tias23/Be-Breeder/. Through a friendly interface to aid researchers in critical decisions, this platform introduces a high degree of interconnectivity between academic research and cultivar development.

No abstract

Increasing low nitrogen (N) tolerance in maize is an important goal for food security and agricultural sustainability. In order to analyze the population structure of tropical maize lines and identify genomic regions associated with low-N tolerance, a set of 64 inbred lines were evaluated under low-N and optimal-N conditions. The low-N Agronomic Efficiency index (LNAE) of each line was calculated. The maize lines were genotyped using 417,112 SNPs markers. The grouping based on the LNAE values classified the lines into two phenotypic groups, the first comprised by genotypes with high LNAE (named H_LNAE group), while the second one comprised genotypes with low LNAE (named L_LNAE group). The H_LNAE and L_LNAE groups had LNAE mean values of 3,304 and 1,644, respectively. The population structure analysis revealed a weak relationship between genetic and phenotypic diversity. Pairs of lines were identified, having at the same time high LNAE and high genetic distance from each other. A set of 29 SNPs markers exhibited a significant difference in allelic frequencies (Fst > 0.2) between H_LNAE and L_LNAE groups. The Pearson's correlation between LNAE and the favorable alleles in this set of SNPs was 0.69. These SNPs could be useful for marker-assisted selection for low-N tolerance in maize breeding programs. The results of this study could help maize breeders identify accessions to be used in the development of low-N tolerant cultivars.

One use of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] as food is as a vegetable, also known as edamame, in which the green pods with seeds fully developed are harvested, cooked briefly, and consumed. Few efforts have been devoted to developing new soybean cultivars with high agronomic performance and characteristics suitable for human consumption. In the present research, crosses between six soybean lines were performed in a diallel scheme without reciprocals to determine the combining ability and the type of gene action that controls the inheritance of development and yield component traits for edamame production. The results showed the existence of variability among the evaluated genotypes and indicated that the progenies presented superior performance in comparison to the parental lines for important traits. The cultivar BRS267 and the inbred line USP-13-19-007 had consistently high estimates of general combining ability for pod and seed size, indicating their potential as parents in breeding for edamame. Most progenies had positive specific combining ability for pod and seed size, showing that generating novel genotypic combinations through new crossings is a promising strategy for improvement. Additive effects played a major role in the inheritance for maturity traits and for pod size, seed size, and yield; both additive and nonadditive effects were important. The magnitude and significance of the correlations indicated that it is possible to improve vegetable soybean traits without affecting grain yield.

Due to the high impact of Asian soybean rust (SBR) in Brazilian croplands, several studies have been conducted in order to maintain or increase the grain yield gain over years in the presence of the pathogen. The aim of this study was to define a breeding strategy applying uni and multivariate approaches for diallel analyzes in early generation trials and contrasting disease conditions. Thus, assessing genetic parameters to identify traits related to greater tolerance to soybean rust. Deploying a North Carolina design II scheme (4 elite commercial cultivars × 10 rusttolerant experimental lines), we obtained 40 F 2 crosses that were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with 4 replicates. The crosses were conducted in two environments, contrasting only for the fungicide management (with and without rust control), enabling the estimation of the rust impact on 11 traits, divided

No abstract

A Deus, pelo dom da vida e por guiar meus passos. Aos meus pais, Carlos Maschio Espolador e Maria de Fatima Garcia Espolador, pelo amor, dedicação e por me apoiar na minha jornada. Ao meu irmão, Murilo Garcia Espolador pela amizade e companheirismo. À minha namorada, Júlia Silva Morosini, pelo carinho, dedicação e por ajudar a conquistar meus sonhos.

No abstract