Matoa (Pometia Pinata Foster): Local Fruit Papua and Strategy Development

Matoa (Pometia pinnata) is a local fruit of  Papua (formerly called Irian Jaya) which has high potensial to develop as comercial fruit. Highly significant genetic resources of matoa potentially for breeding program in Papua are being threatened as a result of cutting down trees for fruit harvesting and of forest exploitation for timber. Besides the loss of genetic resources facing now, other major problems should be consider for conservation and domestication of this fruit tree species i.e. lack of silviculture and agronomy knowledge for further breeding programs; matoa production only for local market; and inadequate government policy for matoa breeding program. Strategy developed for matoa conservation and domestication should also concern about time limited due to the fast loss of genetic poll. This paper provides a general overview of strategy for conservation and domestication of Pometia pinnata with special reference to Papua.

Download Full-text

Review of global rabbit genetic resources: special emphasis on breeding programs and practices in the lesser developed countries

Animal Genetic Resources Information ◽

10.1017/s1014233900001073 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 23 ◽

pp. 49-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S. D. Lukefahr

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Genetic Resources ◽

Management Practices ◽

Limited Resource ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Breeding Program ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

National Priority ◽

Genetic Resources Management ◽

Resources Conservation

SummaryPresently, there is little organization or cooperation among countries with rabbit breeding programs with the common aim of maintaining genetic diversity, with the exception of Europe and the Mediterranean region. Particularly in the lesser developed countries (LDC's), there is limited evidence that maintaining genetic diversity in rabbit populations is even a national priority. Based on consultancies and project experiences in over fifteen LDC's, and limited reports from the literature, evaluations of breeding programs at national rabbit breeding centers have generally been less than encouraging with regard to the management of genetic resources: utilization and conservation. The purpose of this position paper is to review rabbit genetic resources management practices and trends in rabbit breeding program development which pertain to genetic resources utilization and conservation issues, and with special emphasis on the LDC's. Several measures are discussed that could enhance breeding program integrity, greater benefit limited-resource farmers, and also foster international and regional participation in rabbit genetic resources conservation programs.

Download Full-text

Enrichment of the local plant gene fund for providing a resource base for priority agro-food systems

Agricultural sciences ◽

10.22620/agrisci.2021.29.010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (29) ◽

pp. 85-93

Author(s):

Nikolaya Velcheva ◽

◽

Tsvetelina Stoilova ◽

Petar Chavdarov ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Resources ◽

Food Systems ◽

Plant Genetic Resources ◽

Interspecific Crosses ◽

Local Market ◽

Vegetable Crops ◽

Resource Base ◽

Plant Materials ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Taxonomic Description

Plant genetic resources are a link between environment, agriculture and food systems, so their conservation requires cooperation within the different sectors of bio-economy. The existing diversity in local genetic resources is an initial base in crop breeding corresponding with the new challenges such as climate change, plant health and food quality. As a result from the activities of the National Research Program “Healthy foods for a strong bio-economy and quality of life” 63 accessions from different regions of Southern Bulgaria were collected through several collecting missions. Each accession was described by passport data including: taxonomic description under the nomenclature of the GRIN system, date of registration in the collection, donor, ecological and geographical characteristics of the explored area, biological status, etc., according to the International descriptor of FAO/Bioversity. The greatest diversity of old varieties and local forms has been found in the legumes and vegetable crops. The seeds are usually inherited in families or passed between neighbours and they are intended for household or local market. The collected plant materials were evaluated by morphological and agro-biological characteristics. Evaluation data from accessions of bean showed high variability of morphological traits as height of plants, number of pods and seeds per plant. The results obtained from this study will be useful in breeding programs and interspecific crosses, for selection and introduction of desired traits through pre-breeding programs, for research and direct use of farmers.

Download Full-text

Convolutional Neural Networks to Estimate Dry Matter Yield in a Guineagrass Breeding Program Using UAV Remote Sensing

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21123971 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. 3971

Author(s):

Gabriel Silva de Oliveira ◽

José Marcato Junior ◽

Caio Polidoro ◽

Lucas Prado Osco ◽

Henrique Siqueira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Genetic Correlations ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Breeding Program ◽

Yield Traits ◽

Dry Matter Yield ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Ground Truth Data

Forage dry matter is the main source of nutrients in the diet of ruminant animals. Thus, this trait is evaluated in most forage breeding programs with the objective of increasing the yield. Novel solutions combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and computer vision are crucial to increase the efficiency of forage breeding programs, to support high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), aiming to estimate parameters correlated to important traits. The main goal of this study was to propose a convolutional neural network (CNN) approach using UAV-RGB imagery to estimate dry matter yield traits in a guineagrass breeding program. For this, an experiment composed of 330 plots of full-sib families and checks conducted at Embrapa Beef Cattle, Brazil, was used. The image dataset was composed of images obtained with an RGB sensor embedded in a Phantom 4 PRO. The traits leaf dry matter yield (LDMY) and total dry matter yield (TDMY) were obtained by conventional agronomic methodology and considered as the ground-truth data. Different CNN architectures were analyzed, such as AlexNet, ResNeXt50, DarkNet53, and two networks proposed recently for related tasks named MaCNN and LF-CNN. Pretrained AlexNet and ResNeXt50 architectures were also studied. Ten-fold cross-validation was used for training and testing the model. Estimates of DMY traits by each CNN architecture were considered as new HTP traits to compare with real traits. Pearson correlation coefficient r between real and HTP traits ranged from 0.62 to 0.79 for LDMY and from 0.60 to 0.76 for TDMY; root square mean error (RSME) ranged from 286.24 to 366.93 kg·ha−1 for LDMY and from 413.07 to 506.56 kg·ha−1 for TDMY. All the CNNs generated heritable HTP traits, except LF-CNN for LDMY and AlexNet for TDMY. Genetic correlations between real and HTP traits were high but varied according to the CNN architecture. HTP trait from ResNeXt50 pretrained achieved the best results for indirect selection regardless of the dry matter trait. This demonstrates that CNNs with remote sensing data are highly promising for HTP for dry matter yield traits in forage breeding programs.

Download Full-text

NEW INTRODUCTIONS FROM MAS.PES, AN ITALIAN FRUIT TREE BREEDING PROGRAM: 'DULCIVA' NECTARINE AND 'PULCHRA' PEACH

Acta Horticulturae ◽

10.17660/actahortic.2015.1084.20 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 153-158

Author(s):

D. Bassi ◽

S. Foschi ◽

L. Castellari

Keyword(s):

Tree Breeding ◽

Fruit Tree ◽

Breeding Program ◽

Tree Breeding Program ◽

Fruit Tree Breeding

Download Full-text

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of a set of tropical maize inbred lines from a public breeding program in Brazil

BMC Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12864-021-08127-7 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sirlene Viana de Faria ◽

Leandro Tonello Zuffo ◽

Wemerson Mendonça Rezende ◽

Diego Gonçalves Caixeta ◽

Hélcio Duarte Pereira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Inbred Lines ◽

Breeding Program ◽

Tropical Maize ◽

Maize Breeding ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

The Public ◽

Maize Inbred Lines

Abstract Background The characterization of genetic diversity and population differentiation for maize inbred lines from breeding programs is of great value in assisting breeders in maintaining and potentially increasing the rate of genetic gain. In our study, we characterized a set of 187 tropical maize inbred lines from the public breeding program of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil based on 18 agronomic traits and 3,083 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers to evaluate whether this set of inbred lines represents a panel of tropical maize inbred lines for association mapping analysis and investigate the population structure and patterns of relationships among the inbred lines from UFV for better exploitation in our maize breeding program. Results Our results showed that there was large phenotypic and genotypic variation in the set of tropical maize inbred lines from the UFV maize breeding program. We also found high genetic diversity (GD = 0.34) and low pairwise kinship coefficients among the maize inbred lines (only approximately 4.00 % of the pairwise relative kinship was above 0.50) in the set of inbred lines. The LD decay distance over all ten chromosomes in the entire set of maize lines with r2 = 0.1 was 276,237 kb. Concerning the population structure, our results from the model-based STRUCTURE and principal component analysis methods distinguished the inbred lines into three subpopulations, with high consistency maintained between both results. Additionally, the clustering analysis based on phenotypic and molecular data grouped the inbred lines into 14 and 22 genetic divergence clusters, respectively. Conclusions Our results indicate that the set of tropical maize inbred lines from UFV maize breeding programs can comprise a panel of tropical maize inbred lines suitable for a genome-wide association study to dissect the variation of complex quantitative traits in maize, mainly in tropical environments. In addition, our results will be very useful for assisting us in the assignment of heterotic groups and the selection of the best parental combinations for new breeding crosses, mapping populations, mapping synthetic populations, guiding crosses that target highly heterotic and yielding hybrids, and predicting untested hybrids in the public breeding program UFV.

Download Full-text

MoBPSweb: A web-based framework to simulate and compare breeding programs

10.1101/2020.07.08.193227 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

T. Pook ◽

L. Büttgen ◽

A. Ganesan ◽

N.T. Ha ◽

H. Simianer

Keyword(s):

Selection Index ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Simulation Software ◽

Breeding Program ◽

Breeding Value ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

General Applicability ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Web Based ◽

Value Estimation

ABSTRACTSelective breeding is a continued element of both crop and livestock breeding since early prehistory. In this work, we are proposing a new web-based simulation framework (“MoBPSweb”) that is combining a unified language to describe breeding programs with the simulation software MoBPS, standing for ‘Modular Breeding Program Simulator’. Thereby, MoBPSweb is providing a flexible environment to enter, simulate, evaluate and compare breeding programs. Inputs can be provided via modules ranging from a Vis.js-based flash environment for “drawing” the breeding program to a variety of modules to provide phenotype information, economic parameters and other relevant information. Similarly, results of the simulation study can be extracted and compared to other scenarios via output modules (e.g. observed phenotypes, accuracy of breeding value estimation, inbreeding rates). Usability of the framework is showcased along a toy example of a dairy cattle breeding program on farm level, with comparing scenarios differing in implemented breeding value estimation, selection index and selection intensity being considered. Comparisons are made considering both short and long-term effects of the different scenarios in terms of genomic gains, rates of inbreeding and the accuracy of the breeding value estimation. Lastly, general applicability of the MoBPSweb framework and the general potential for simulation studies for genetics and in particular in breeding are discussed.

Download Full-text

Maize gene bank collections as potentially valuable breeding material

Genetika ◽

10.2298/gensr1001009v ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 9-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jelena Vancetovic ◽

Snezana Mladenovic-Drinic ◽

Milosav Babic ◽

Dragana Ignjatovic-Micic ◽

Violeta Andjelkovic

Keyword(s):

Genetic Resources ◽

Herbicide Tolerance ◽

Gene Bank ◽

Maize Breeding ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Effective Utilization ◽

Maize Populations ◽

Predominant Type ◽

Superior Genotypes ◽

Maize Gene

Characterization and evaluation of the genetic resources provide breeders with valuable information on an effective utilization of the genetic resources in breeding programs. In this paper we present the results of different research programs aimed at identification of superior genotypes among MRI gene bank accessions, regarding stress tolerance (drought and herbicides), better nutritional quality (phosphorus) and specific traits (cytoplasmic male sterility - CMS). Fifty-two genotypes were identified as a potential source for drought tolerance. Considering herbicide tolerance only genotypes with resistance to the Pivot were found. Within 100 sources of CMS in the collection S cytoplasm was identified as the predominant type. Phytate analysis of 60 maize populations identified three groups of populations - with low (8), intermediate (25) and high (27) phytate content. The results of these researches, which are a part of pre-breeding activities, will be included in MRI breeding programs, with the aim of developing new genotypes with improved traits important in commercial maize breeding and seed production.

Download Full-text

Genomic Selection for Any Dairy Breeding Program via Optimized Investment in Phenotyping and Genotyping

Frontiers in Genetics ◽

10.3389/fgene.2021.637017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Jana Obšteter ◽

Janez Jenko ◽

Gregor Gorjanc

Keyword(s):

Genomic Selection ◽

Genetic Gain ◽

Breeding Program ◽

Progeny Testing ◽

Initial Training ◽

Training Population ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Use Of Resources ◽

Dairy Cattle Breeding ◽

Close Relatives

This paper evaluates the potential of maximizing genetic gain in dairy cattle breeding by optimizing investment into phenotyping and genotyping. Conventional breeding focuses on phenotyping selection candidates or their close relatives to maximize selection accuracy for breeders and quality assurance for producers. Genomic selection decoupled phenotyping and selection and through this increased genetic gain per year compared to the conventional selection. Although genomic selection is established in well-resourced breeding programs, small populations and developing countries still struggle with the implementation. The main issues include the lack of training animals and lack of financial resources. To address this, we simulated a case-study of a small dairy population with a number of scenarios with equal available resources yet varied use of resources for phenotyping and genotyping. The conventional progeny testing scenario collected 11 phenotypic records per lactation. In genomic selection scenarios, we reduced phenotyping to between 10 and 1 phenotypic records per lactation and invested the saved resources into genotyping. We tested these scenarios at different relative prices of phenotyping to genotyping and with or without an initial training population for genomic selection. Reallocating a part of phenotyping resources for repeated milk records to genotyping increased genetic gain compared to the conventional selection scenario regardless of the amount and relative cost of phenotyping, and the availability of an initial training population. Genetic gain increased by increasing genotyping, despite reduced phenotyping. High-genotyping scenarios even saved resources. Genomic selection scenarios expectedly increased accuracy for young non-phenotyped candidate males and females, but also proven females. This study shows that breeding programs should optimize investment into phenotyping and genotyping to maximize return on investment. Our results suggest that any dairy breeding program using conventional progeny testing with repeated milk records can implement genomic selection without increasing the level of investment.

Download Full-text

Aromatic Rice of India: It’s Types and Breeding Strategies

10.5772/intechopen.99232 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aarti Sharma ◽

Sandhya ◽

Akanksha Srivastava ◽

Snehanshu Singh ◽

Subhash Mishra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breeding Program ◽

Basmati Rice ◽

Local Market ◽

Aromatic Rice ◽

Rice Varieties ◽

Major Market ◽

Rich Diversity ◽

Daily Food ◽

Glutinous Rice ◽

Kernel Length

The coalescence of organoleptic traits viz., pleasant aroma, cooked rice texture, and taste make aromatic rice unique and distinguished from non-aromatic rice. Aromatic rice is cultivated in every rice growing country; with each country has its own indigenous collection. International trade of rice is dominated by Indica (long grained), Japonica (short grained), aromatic rice (Basmati and Jasmine) and glutinous rice; amidst which, Basmati types from India and Pakistan; and Jasmine types from Thailand have phenomenal demand. In India all types of aromatic rice are cultivated based on Kernel length; short, medium, long and very long grained. Basmati varieties own the major market, while other types of aromatic rice besides Basmati are popular in local market only. The country inherits rich diversity of aromatic rice germplasm; with more than 300 different types, each of the rice growing states of India has its own locally popular aromatic rice varieties. India a country where two third of its population consume rice as part of their daily food; aromatic rice always remain their favorite. Basmati, by virtue of its excellent qualities it dominates both national and international market. Every year, Basmati ranks first in respect of foreign exchange earned from the export of agricultural products from India (APEDA). The phenomenal demand and export figures have augmented Basmati Breeding program. However, only few aromatic varieties are cultivated depending on their demand, and their breeding program is also limited. In India, Basmati has over-shadowed other types of aromatic rice in market and in plant breeding programs too. Breeding for Basmati varieties is undertaken by prime agricultural institutions of India. The country regulates quality standards and development of Basmati varieties with the help of Export of Basmati Rice (Quality Control and Inspection) Rules 2003; Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA); and Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF). However, no such initiatives have been taken to promote the development of other aromatic rice varieties of India besides Basmati.

Download Full-text

ARE TODAY’S DAIRY CATTLE BREEDING PROGRAMS SUITABLE FOR TOMORROW’S PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS?

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4141/cjas80-034 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 253-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A. J. McALLISTER

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Genetic Improvement ◽

Herd Size ◽

Breeding Program ◽

Genetic Trend ◽

Genetic Progress ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Holstein Breed ◽

Dairy Cattle Breeding ◽

National Production

In the last decade the dairy cattle population has declined to a level of 1.9 million cows in 1978 with about 56% of these cows bred AI and nearly 20% of the population enrolled in a supervised milk recording program. The decline in cow numbers has been accompanied by an increase in herd size and production per cow. The current breeding program of the dairy industry is a composite of breeding decisions made by AI organizations, breeders who produce young bulls for sampling and all dairymen who choose the sires and dams of their replacement heifers. Estimates of genetic trend from 1958–1975 for milk production in the national milk recorded herd range from 21 to 55 kg per year for the four dairy breeds with Holsteins being 41 kg per year. Both differential use of superior proven sires and improved genetic merit of young bulls entering AI studs contribute to this genetic improvement. Various national production and marketing alternatives were examined. Selection is a major breeding tool in establishing a breeding program to meet national production requirements for milk and milk products once the selection goal is defined. AI and young sire sampling programs will continue to be the primary vehicle for genetic improvement through selection regardless of the selection goal. The current resources of milk-recorded cows bred AI is not being fully utilized to achieve maximum genetic progress possible from young sire sampling indicate that the number of young bulls sampled annually in the Holstein breed could be tripled with the existing milk-recorded and AI bred dairy cow population. Expanded milk recording and AI breeding levels could increase the potential for even further genetic improvement. The potential impact of selection for other traits, crossbreeding and the use of embryo transfer of future breeding programs is highlighted.

Download Full-text