Genome wide selection for Eucalyptus improvement at international paper in Brazil

Background The efficiency of plant breeding depends mainly on two actions of the breeder: creation and subsequent identification of superior genotypes. In both actions, selection plays a fundamental role in the definition of crosses to be performed, with interest in creating new genotypes and identifying superior trees to be used commercially. The great attraction of molecular tools for plant breeding is the direct use of DNA information in selection, allowing higher efficiency, quickness in obtaining genetic gains with relatively low costs, when compared to the traditional selection based on phenotypic data. All these objectives can be reached through a new approach: genome-wide selection (GWS) or just genomic selection (GS). Genomic selection can be applied in breeding programs of any species. Results obtained in simulated data indicated that GWS can be very profitable in eucalyptus breeding [1]. GWS is based on selection exclusively by molecular markers, after having their genetic effects estimated based on phenotypic data, in a breeding population sample [2]. The present work aims to characterize and estimate genetic parameters of a hybrid progeny test, the population that will compose the genome-wide selection study at International Paper in Brazil.