Enhancing the rate of genetic gain in public-sector plant breeding programs: lessons from the breeder’s equation

Abstract

Key message The integration of new technologies into public plant breeding programs can make a powerful step change in agricultural productivity when aligned with principles of quantitative and Mendelian genetics. Abstract The breeder’s equation is the foundational application of quantitative genetics to crop improvement. Guided by the variables that describe response to selection, emerging breeding technologies can make a powerful step change in the effectiveness of public breeding programs. The most promising innovations for increasing the rate of genetic gain without greatly increasing program size appear to be related to reducing breeding cycle time, which is likely to require the implementation of parent selection on non-inbred progeny, rapid generation advance, and genomic selection. These are complex processes and will require breeding organizations to adopt a culture of continuous optimization and improvement. To enable this, research managers will need to consider and proactively manage the, accountability, strategy, and resource allocations of breeding teams. This must be combined with thoughtful management of elite genetic variation and a clear separation between the parental selection process and product development and advancement process. With an abundance of new technologies available, breeding teams need to evaluate carefully the impact of any new technology on selection intensity, selection accuracy, and breeding cycle length relative to its cost of deployment. Finally breeding data management systems need to be well designed to support selection decisions and novel approaches to accelerate breeding cycles need to be routinely evaluated and deployed.

Diversity and Pre-Breeding Prospects for Local Adaptation in Oat Genetic Resources

“…Compared to other cereals, the progress in grain yield from 1960 to 2005 on a global scale was smaller in oat [61], whereas in Western and Northern European countries such as Germany, grain yield improvement was comparable to other inbreeding cereals [3,57]. Information on the multiple trait performance of oat genetic resources in multi-environment trials, as presented in this study, are, together with new breeding techniques and strategies [57,62], essential for further breeding progress in oat.…”

A hybrid optimal contribution approach to drive short-term gains while maintaining long-term sustainability in a modern plant breeding program

“…The largest theoretical gains come from reduced generation intervals, or rapid-cycling, where superior individuals are used as parents at earlier stages than is typically possible through traditional phenotypic selection (Schaeffer 2006; Hickey et al 2017a). By pushing generation turnover rates to their biological (Christopher et al 2015; Hickey et al 2017b; Watson et al 2019) and logistical limits (Cobb et al 2019), genetic gain can be drastically accelerated beyond traditional breeding methods (Schaeffer 2006). Accurate prediction of breeding values is required for rapid-cycling to be effective, and is achieved through large, highly related training populations.…”

Sequencing depth and genotype quality: Accuracy and breeding operation considerations for genomic selection applications in autopolyploid crops

“…Taken together, the current results show that genomic selection will contribute towards increased genetic gains, especially via reduced breeding cycle time in potato and sweetpotato. However, the effectiveness of genomic selection will have to be considered from the perspective of optimizing the entire breeding program ( Cobb et al 2019 ). This refers to the assembly and deployment of a package of technological tools that allow a specific program to realize maximum genetic gains within its current context in terms of time and resources, by exploiting all components of the breeder’s equation.…”