Genomic selection for growth and wood quality in Eucalyptus: capturing the missing heritability and accelerating breeding for complex traits in forest trees.
• Genomic selection (GS) is expected to cause a paradigm shift in tree breeding by improving its speed and efficiency. By fitting all the genome-wide markers concurrently, GS can capture most of the 'missing heritability' of complex traits that quantitative trait locus (QTL) and association mapping classically fail to explain. Experimental support of GS is now required. • The effectiveness of GS was assessed in two unrelated Eucalyptus breeding populations with contrasting effective population sizes (N(e) = 11 and 51) genotyped with > 3000 DArT markers. Prediction models were developed for tree circumference and height growth, wood specific gravity and pulp yield using random regression best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP). • Accuracies of GS varied between 0.55 and 0.88, matching the accuracies achieved by conventional phenotypic selection. Substantial proportions (74-97%) of trait heritability were captured by fitting all genome-wide markers simultaneously. Genomic regions explaining trait variation largely coincided between populations, although GS models predicted poorly across populations, likely as a result of variable patterns of linkage disequilibrium, inconsistent allelic effects and genotype × environment interaction. • GS brings a new perspective to the understanding of quantitative trait variation in forest trees and provides a revolutionary tool for applied tree improvement. Nevertheless population-specific predictive models will likely drive the initial applications of GS in forest tree breeding.
EMBRAPA Forestry Research, Colombo, PR, 83411-000, Brazil.|Universidade Federal de Viçosa - Viçosa MG, 36570-000, Brazil.
Marcos D V
MDV
Resende
Universidade Federal de Viçosa - Viçosa MG, 36570-000, Brazil.
Márcio F R
MFR
Resende
EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology - EPqB, 70770-910, Brasilia, DF, Brazil.|Universidade de Brasilia - Campus Darcy Ribeiro Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.
Carolina P
CP
Sansaloni
EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology - EPqB, 70770-910, Brasilia, DF, Brazil.|Universidade de Brasilia - Campus Darcy Ribeiro Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.
Cesar D
CD
Petroli
FIBRIA Celulose S.A., Rod. Aracruz/Barra do Riacho, km 25, Aracruz, ES, 29197-900, Brazil.
Alexandre A
AA
Missiaggia
FIBRIA Celulose S.A., Rod. Aracruz/Barra do Riacho, km 25, Aracruz, ES, 29197-900, Brazil.
Aurelio M
AM
Aguiar
FIBRIA Celulose S.A., Rod. Aracruz/Barra do Riacho, km 25, Aracruz, ES, 29197-900, Brazil.
Jupiter M
JM
Abad
CENIBRA Celulose Nipo Brasileira S.A, Belo Oriente, MG, 35196-000, Brazil.
Elizabete K
EK
Takahashi
CENIBRA Celulose Nipo Brasileira S.A, Belo Oriente, MG, 35196-000, Brazil.
Antonio M
AM
Rosado
EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology - EPqB, 70770-910, Brasilia, DF, Brazil.
Danielle A
DA
Faria
EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology - EPqB, 70770-910, Brasilia, DF, Brazil.|Universidade Catolica de Brasília- SGAN, 916 modulo B, Brasilia, DF, 70790-160, Brazil.
Georgios J
GJ
Pappas
DArT - Diversity Arrays Technology, POB 7141, Yarralumla, ACT, Australia 2600.
Andrzej
A
Kilian
EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology - EPqB, 70770-910, Brasilia, DF, Brazil.|Universidade Catolica de Brasília- SGAN, 916 modulo B, Brasilia, DF, 70790-160, Brazil.
Dario
D
Grattapaglia
D001947:Breeding; D005052:Eucalyptus / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D018745:Genome, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D040582:Inheritance Patterns / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D014197:Trees / Q000235:genetics*; D014934:Wood / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
D005819:Genetic Markers