ProbBreed: a novel tool for calculating the risk of cultivar recommendation in multienvironment trials.

Neglecting genotype-by-environment interactions in multienvironment trials (MET) increases the risk of flawed cultivar recommendations for growers. Recent advancements in probability theory coupled with cutting-edge software offer a more streamlined decision-making process for selecting suitable candidates across diverse environments. Here, we present the user-friendly ProbBreed package in R, which allows breeders to calculate the probability of a given genotype outperforming competitors under a Bayesian framework.

Developing best practices for genotyping-by-sequencing analysis in the construction of linkage maps.

Background: Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) provides affordable methods for genotyping hundreds of individuals using millions of markers. However, this challenges bioinformatic procedures that must overcome possible artifacts such as the bias generated by polymerase chain reaction duplicates and sequencing errors. Genotyping errors lead to data that deviate from what is expected from regular meiosis.

AGHmatrix: genetic relationship matrices in R.

Motivation: The resemble between relatives computed from pedigree and genomic data is an important resource for geneticists and ecologists, who are interested in understanding how genes influence phenotypic variation, fitness adaptation, and population dynamics.

Results: The AGHmatrix software is an R package focused on the construction of pedigree (A matrix) and/or molecular markers (G matrix), with the possibility of building a combined matrix of pedigree corrected by molecular markers (H matrix). Designed to estimate the relationships for any ploidy level, the software also includes auxiliary functions related to filtering molecular markers, and checks pedigree errors in large data sets.

Significance of linkage disequilibrium and epistasis on genetic variances in noninbred and inbred populations.

Background: The influence of linkage disequilibrium (LD), epistasis, and inbreeding on genotypic variance continues to be an important area of investigation in genetics and evolution. Although the current knowledge about biological pathways and gene networks indicates that epistasis is important in determining quantitative traits, the empirical evidence for a range of species and traits is that the genotypic variance is most additive. This has been confirmed by some recent theoretical studies.

Genome-wide association studies dissect the genetic architecture of seed shape and size in common bean.

Seed weight and size are important yield components. Thus, selecting for large seeds has been a key objective in crop domestication and breeding. In common bean, seed shape is also important since it influences industrial processing and plays a vital role in determining the choices of consumers and farmers.

Leveraging probability concepts for cultivar recommendation in multi-environment trials.

We propose using probability concepts from Bayesian models to leverage a more informed decision-making process toward cultivar recommendation in multi-environment trials. Statistical models that capture the phenotypic plasticity of a genotype across environments are crucial in plant breeding programs to potentially identify parents, generate offspring, and obtain highly productive genotypes for target environments. In this study, our aim is to leverage concepts of Bayesian models and probability methods of stability analysis to untangle genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI).

QTL mapping for bioenergy traits in sweet sorghum recombinant inbred lines.

During the past decade, sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench L.) has shown great potential for bioenergy production, especially biofuels. In this study, 223 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between two sweet sorghum lines (Brandes × Wray) were evaluated in three trials.

Angular Leaf Spot Resistance Associated With Different Plant Growth Stages in Common Bean.

Angular leaf spot (ALS) is a disease that causes major yield losses in the common bean crop. Studies based on different isolates and populations have already been carried out to elucidate the genetic mechanisms of resistance to ALS. However, understanding of the interaction of this resistance with the reproductive stages of common bean is lacking.

Construction of a High-Density Genetic Map of (Berg.) Burret, an Outcrossing Species, Based on Two Connected Mapping Populations.

, known as feijoa or pineapple guava, is a diploid, (2 = 2 = 22) outcrossing fruit tree species native to Uruguay and Brazil. The species stands out for its highly aromatic fruits, with nutraceutical and therapeutic value. Despite its promising agronomical value, genetic studies on this species are limited.

Estimation of Molecular Pairwise Relatedness in Autopolyploid Crops.

A suitable pairwise relatedness estimation is key to genetic studies. Several methods are proposed to compute relatedness in autopolyploids based on molecular data. However, unlike diploids, autopolyploids still need further studies considering scenarios with many linked molecular markers with known dosage.

Improving yield and fruit quality traits in sweet passion fruit: Evidence for genotype by environment interaction and selection of promising genotypes.

Breeding for yield and fruit quality traits in passion fruits is complex due to the polygenic nature of these traits and the existence of genetic correlations among them. Therefore, studies focused on crop management practices and breeding using modern quantitative genetic approaches are still needed, especially for Passiflora alata, an understudied crop, popularly known as the sweet passion fruit. It is highly appreciated for its typical aroma and flavor characteristics.

High-Resolution Linkage Map With Allele Dosage Allows the Identification of Regions Governing Complex Traits and Apospory in Guinea Grass ().

Forage grasses are mainly used in animal feed to fatten cattle and dairy herds, and guinea grass () is considered one of the most productive of the tropical forage crops that reproduce by seeds. Due to the recent process of domestication, this species has several genomic complexities, such as autotetraploidy and aposporous apomixis. Consequently, approaches that relate phenotypic and genotypic data are incipient.

Linkage Analysis and Haplotype Phasing in Experimental Autopolyploid Populations with High Ploidy Level Using Hidden Markov Models.

Modern SNP genotyping technologies allow measurement of the relative abundance of different alleles for a given locus and consequently estimation of their allele dosage, opening a new road for genetic studies in autopolyploids. Despite advances in genetic linkage analysis in autotetraploids, there is a lack of statistical models to perform linkage analysis in organisms with higher ploidy levels. In this paper, we present a statistical method to estimate recombination fractions and infer linkage phases in full-sib populations of autopolyploid species with even ploidy levels for a set of SNP markers using hidden Markov models.

A genome-wide association study identified loci for yield component traits in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.).

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) has a complex genome with variable ploidy and frequent aneuploidy, which hampers the understanding of phenotype and genotype relations. Despite this complexity, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) may be used to identify favorable alleles for target traits in core collections and then assist breeders in better managing crosses and selecting superior genotypes in breeding populations.

Genomic Selection with Allele Dosage in Jacq.

Genomic selection is an efficient approach to get shorter breeding cycles in recurrent selection programs and greater genetic gains with selection of superior individuals. Despite advances in genotyping techniques, genetic studies for polyploid species have been limited to a rough approximation of studies in diploid species. The major challenge is to distinguish the different types of heterozygotes present in polyploid populations.

Gene Duplication in the Sugarcane Genome: A Case Study of Allele Interactions and Evolutionary Patterns in Two Genic Regions.

Sugarcane ( spp.) is highly polyploid and aneuploid. Modern cultivars are derived from hybridization between and .

Genetic Mapping With Allele Dosage Information in Tetraploid (Stapf) R. D. Webster Reveals Insights Into Spittlebug ( Berg) Resistance.

(Stapf) R. D. Webster is one of the most important African forage grasses in Brazilian beef production.

Evidence for Strong Kinship Influence on the Extent of Linkage Disequilibrium in Cultivated Common Beans.

is an important grain legume for human consumption. Recently, association mapping studies have been performed for the species aiming to identify loci underlying quantitative variation of traits. It is now imperative to know whether the linkage disequilibrium (LD) reflects the true association between a marker and causative loci.

A fully automated pipeline for quantitative genotype calling from next generation sequencing data in autopolyploids.

Background: Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) has been used broadly in genetic studies for several species, especially those with agricultural importance. However, its use is still limited in autopolyploid species because genotype calling software generally fails to properly distinguish heterozygous classes based on allele dosage.

Results: VCF2SM is a Python script that integrates sequencing depth information of polymorphisms in variant call format (VCF) files and SUPERMASSA software for quantitative genotype calling.