ORCID Profile
0000-0003-3052-8300
Current Organisation
Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
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Crop and pasture production | Animal reproduction and breeding | Horticultural crop improvement (incl. selection and breeding) | Crop and pasture improvement (incl. selection and breeding)
Publisher: University of Queensland Library
Date: 2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-05-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12864-021-07694-Z
Abstract: Improving yield prediction and selection efficiency is critical for tree breeding. This is vital for macadamia trees with the time from crossing to production of new cultivars being almost a quarter of a century. Genomic selection (GS) is a useful tool in plant breeding, particularly with perennial trees, contributing to an increased rate of genetic gain and reducing the length of the breeding cycle. We investigated the potential of using GS methods to increase genetic gain and accelerate selection efficiency in the Australian macadamia breeding program with comparison to traditional breeding methods. This study evaluated the prediction accuracy of GS in a macadamia breeding population of 295 full-sib progeny from 32 families (29 parents, reciprocals combined), along with a subset of parents. Historical yield data for tree ages 5 to 8 years were used in the study, along with a set of 4113 SNP markers. The traits of focus were average nut yield from tree ages 5 to 8 years and yield stability, measured as the standard deviation of yield over these 4 years. GBLUP GS models were used to obtain genomic estimated breeding values for each genotype, with a five-fold cross-validation method and two techniques: prediction across related populations and prediction across unrelated populations. Narrow-sense heritability of yield and yield stability was low (h 2 = 0.30 and 0.04, respectively). Prediction accuracy for yield was 0.57 for predictions across related populations and 0.14 when predicted across unrelated populations. Accuracy of prediction of yield stability was high (r = 0.79) for predictions across related populations. Predicted genetic gain of yield using GS in related populations was 474 g/year, more than double that of traditional breeding methods (226 g/year), due to the halving of generation length from 8 to 4 years. The results of this study indicate that the incorporation of GS for yield into the Australian macadamia breeding program may accelerate genetic gain due to reduction in generation length, though the cost of genotyping appears to be a constraint at present.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-04-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S10681-023-03169-2
Abstract: Husk spot caused by the Pseudocercospora macadamiae fungus induces premature abscission of fruit in many industry standard macadamia cultivars. Fungicides and other management strategies add to farm costs, thus breeding for varietal resistance is important. Genetic parameters of husk spot symptom expression had not previously been estimated. To guide selection methods for field resistance, over 300 open-pollinated seedlings of 32 families and 24 parent genotypes were inoculated, and seven symptom expression traits were evaluated. Narrow-sense and broad-sense heritabilities were estimated, breeding values were predicted, and correlations between breeding values of trait pairs were tested for significance. The traits with the highest heritabilities were necrotic lesion number per fruit ( H 2 = 0.41–0.59 h 2 = 0.21–0.30) and necrotic incidence ( H 2 = 0.19–0.27 h 2 = 0.17–0.24). Breeding values of the two traits were highly correlated (r = 0.98 p 0.001), suggesting that either trait could be used to indirectly select for the other. All genotypes expressed symptoms to some degree, however, breeding values for necrotic traits and symptom-induced premature abscission were low for clones and progeny of cultivar ‘HAES791’. Necrotic trait breeding values were also promising for progeny of cultivar ‘HAES246’ and clones of Australian Macadamia Breeding Program elite selection, ‘BAM263’. Having been identified as potentially partially resistant, these selections can now be further evaluated and used as parents of new progeny populations.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-01-2018
Publisher: American Society for Horticultural Science
Date: 04-2019
Abstract: Current macadamia breeding programs involve a lengthy and laborious two-stage selection process: evaluation of a large number of unreplicated seedling progeny, followed by replicated trials of clonally propagated elite seedlings. Yield component traits, such as nut-in-shell weight (NW), kernel weight (KW), and kernel recovery (KR) are commercially important, are more easily measured than yield, and have a higher heritability. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) combined with marker-assisted selection offers an opportunity to reduce the time of candidate evaluation. In this study, a total of 281 progeny from 32 families, and 18 of their 29 parents have been genotyped for 7126 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. A GWAS was performed using ASReml with 4352 SNPs. We found five SNPs significantly associated with NW, nine with KW, and one with KR. Further, three of the top 10 markers for NW and KW were shared between the two traits. Future macadamia breeding could involve prescreening of in iduals for desired traits using these significantly associated markers, with only predicted elite in iduals continuing to the second stage of selection, thus potentially reducing the selection process by 7 years.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 31-08-2018
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.1111/BOJ.12494
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-03-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S12864-020-6575-3
Abstract: Breeding for new macadamia cultivars with high nut yield is expensive in terms of time, labour and cost. Most trees set nuts after four to five years, and candidate varieties for breeding are evaluated for at least eight years for various traits. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are promising methods to reduce evaluation and selection cycles by identifying genetic markers linked with key traits, potentially enabling early selection through marker-assisted selection. This study used 295 progeny from 32 full-sib families and 29 parents (18 phenotyped) which were planted across four sites, with each tree genotyped for 4113 SNPs. ASReml-R was used to perform association analyses with linear mixed models including a genomic relationship matrix to account for population structure. Traits investigated were: nut weight (NW), kernel weight (KW), kernel recovery (KR), percentage of whole kernels (WK), tree trunk circumference (TC), percentage of racemes that survived from flowering through to nut set, and number of nuts per raceme. Seven SNPs were significantly associated with NW (at a genome-wide false discovery rate of 0.05), and four with WK. Multiple regression, as well as mapping of markers to genome assembly scaffolds suggested that some SNPs were detecting the same QTL. There were 44 significant SNPs identified for TC although multiple regression suggested detection of 16 separate QTLs. These findings have important implications for macadamia breeding, and highlight the difficulties of heterozygous populations with rapid LD decay. By coupling validated marker-trait associations detected through GWAS with MAS, genetic gain could be increased by reducing the selection time for economically important nut characteristics. Genomic selection may be a more appropriate method to predict complex traits like tree size and yield.
Publisher: American Society for Horticultural Science
Date: 04-2019
Abstract: The Hawaiian cultivars Keaau (HAES660) and Mauka (HAES741) were selected by the University of Hawaii—released in 1966 and 1977, respectively—and have been used extensively in macadamia orchards throughout the world. Recent molecular evidence suggests that these two cultivars are almost identical genetically however, commercially they have been considered phenotypically different. This study reviews available molecular, historical, and phenotypic evidence to examine the hypothesis that these two cultivars are the same genotype. Phenotypic variability for morphological traits was observed in a replicated trial at Wolvi, QLD. Historical evidence suggests that both ‘HAES660’ and ‘HAES741’ were derived from the same orchard. We identified strong genetic and phenotypic similarities between these cultivars, with variability in some simple traits. This study provides evidence that these two cultivars are isogenic or near isogenic and may have been derived from the same plant source.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2019
Publisher: International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS)
Date: 06-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-01-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 03-12-2019
Abstract: Background: Breeding for new macadamia cultivars with high nut yield is expensive in terms of time, labour and cost. Most trees set nuts after four to five years, and candidate varieties for breeding are evaluated for at least eight years for various traits. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are promising methods to reduce evaluation and selection cycles by identifying genetic markers linked with key traits, potentially enabling early selection through marker-assisted selection. This study used 295 progeny from 32 full-sib families and 29 parents (18 phenotyped) which were planted across four sites, with each tree genotyped for 4,113 SNPs. ASReml-R was used to perform association analyses with linear mixed models including a genomic relationship matrix to account for population structure. Traits investigated were: nut weight (NW), kernel weight (KW), kernel recovery (KR), percentage of whole kernels (WK), tree trunk circumference (TC), percentage of racemes that survived from flowering through to nut set, and number of nuts per raceme. Results: Seven SNPs were significantly associated with NW (at a genome-wide false discovery rate of .05), and four with WK. Multiple regression, as well as mapping of markers to genome assembly scaffolds suggested that some SNPs were detecting the same QTL. There were 44 significant SNPs identified for TC although multiple regression suggested detection of 16 separate QTLs. Conclusions: These findings have important implications for macadamia breeding, and highlight the difficulties of heterozygous populations with rapid LD decay. By coupling validated marker-trait associations detected through GWAS with MAS, genetic gain could be increased by reducing the selection time for economically important nut characteristics. Genomic selection may be a more appropriate method to predict complex traits like tree size and yield.
Location: Australia
Start Date: 2023
End Date: 12-2027
Amount: $5,000,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity