HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (5) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bernardo, R. Articles by Charcosset, A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Bernardo, R. Articles by Charcosset, A. Agricola Articles by Bernardo, R. Articles by Charcosset, A. Related Collections Biometrics

CROP BREEDING & GENETICS

Number and Fitness of Selected Individuals in Marker-Assisted and Phenotypic Recurrent Selection

^a Dep. of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, Univ. of Minnesota, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Cir., St. Paul, MN 55108
^b Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Station de génétique végétale, Ferme du Moulon, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

^* Corresponding author (bernardo{at}umn.edu)

Selected individuals in recurrent selection usually have equal fitness, i.e., they contribute the same number of progenies to the next cycle of selection. Our objective was to determine if varying the fitness of selected individuals increases the response to recurrent selection. We developed and evaluated an optimum method (Unequal Fitness) and a simplified method (Better Half) for determining the appropriate fitness of selected individuals. By computer simulation we found that if the number of selected individuals (N_Sel) is constant, the short-term response (cycles 1–5) to phenotypic recurrent selection was generally higher with the Better Half and Unequal Fitness methods than with the Equal Fitness method. In practice, however, breeders would find it easier to change N_Sel than to manipulate the fitness of selected individuals. Reducing N_Sel often negated any short-term advantage of the Better Half and Unequal Fitness methods. Likewise, the Better Half and Unequal Fitness methods were not advantageous in marker-assisted recurrent selection, which is a short-term procedure. Across different N_Sel values, the Better Half and Unequal Fitness methods were superior to the Equal Fitness method for medium- and long-term phenotypic recurrent selection (cycles 6–30). We recommend the Better Half method over the Unequal Fitness method because of its simplicity and because it remained superior to the Equal Fitness method over more cycles of selection. As a rule-of-thumb, we suggest that N_Sel should be roughly equal to the number of cycles for which selection will be conducted. This rule of thumb leads to N_Sel values lower than those typically used in selection programs.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. C. Collins, F. Tardieu, and R. Tuberosa Quantitative Trait Loci and Crop Performance under Abiotic Stress: Where Do We Stand? Plant Physiology, June 1, 2008; 147(2): 469 - 486. [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Xu and J. H. Crouch Marker-Assisted Selection in Plant Breeding: From Publications to Practice Crop Sci., March 19, 2008; 48(2): 391 - 407. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Zhong and J.-L. Jannink Using Quantitative Trait Loci Results to Discriminate Among Crosses on the Basis of Their Progeny Mean and Variance Genetics, September 1, 2007; 177(1): 567 - 576. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Bernardo and J. Yu Prospects for Genomewide Selection for Quantitative Traits in Maize Crop Sci., May 31, 2007; 47(3): 1082 - 1090. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]