Quantitative genetics in breeding

Abstract

Plant breeding has improved the world soybean yield average substantially over the last decades. Its challenge is to continue to increase it. To accomplish that, it is necessary to use all tools available in the plant breeding. Normally, the traits that soybean breeders work are controlled by several genes and are also greatly affected by the environment. These traits are the object of quantitative genetics. In this chapter, some of the most relevant strategies using quantitative genetics, such as genetic components of means and variance, which can be useful in breeding, are presented. The implications of the genotype x environment interactions in soybean breeding are discussed. Some alternatives that may be used to quantify the G x E interaction and to identify lines that are well adapted and stable are presented. It is expected that quantitative genetics continue to help breeders in the process of decision-making that usually take place daily in soybean breeding.