Intro and Impact

4 important questions on Intro and Impact

What factors contribute to yield and how are they governed or affected?

- Yield is influenced by a multitude of different traits and processes.
- Each contributing factor is governed by its own set of possible different genes.
- When selecting for yield, one may choose a genotype with genes that have known effects on yield, though this selection only represents a subsection of all possible contributing traits.
- Some traits have minor contributions that may be too trivial to observe in the wild.
- Yield can also be affected by environmental factors such as climate and weather conditions of a particular season.

What challenges are associated with screening for abiotic stress tolerance in the field according to the slide from Wageningen University?

- Challenges in field-based screening for abiotic stress tolerance include:
- Unpredictable weather conditions.
- Presence of diseases.
- Heterogeneity in experimental conditions.
- Specific experiences from the faculty of life:
- In Ethiopia, a field trial encountered a vulnerable experimental population to Phytophthora disease.
- In the Netherlands, heavy rainfall disrupted nitrogen trials and harvesting schedules.

What are the advantages of indirect selection for abiotic stress tolerance under controlled conditions compared to the target environment?

- Indirect selection under controlled conditions enables more uniform field conditions, which are not as variable as those in the target environment.
- The predictability of outcomes is greater under controlled conditions due to less environmental variation.
- Achieving higher heritabilities is possible under controlled conditions, which can lead to more reliable selection results.
- Although selection response in the target environment may remain low, the managed conditions can mitigate problems caused by the environment exerting too much influence on field trials.
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What considerations are important in breeding for abiotic stress according to the slide from Wageningen University?

- Selection must target genetic properties that are inheritable to enhance the likelihood they will pass on to the progeny.
- Variability in traits is essentially the result of genetic differences rather than environmental factors or conditions.
- The level of environmental influence impacts the difficulty in identifying the specific genetic component, such as a particular gene or genomic region, associated with the trait.

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