Genotype-by-Trait Data Analysis and Decision-Making

This chapter discusses the analysis of genotype‐by‐trait (GT) two‐way tables. GT biplots can be generated for a single trial, across all trials, and across a group of homogeneous trials, that is within a mega‐environment. GT data analysis has three objectives: (i) to understand the relationships among traits; (ii) to understand the trait profiles of the genotypes; and (iii) to evaluate the genotypes based on multiple traits. The idea of index selection can also be used to formulate new crosses based on GT data to develop new hybrids or breeding populations. The Multi‐Trait Decision Maker module, which is illustrated in the chapter, allows specifying a level for each trait, in percentage of the selected check, for independent culling. The module also allows setting a weight for each trait, which can be used to calculate a selection index for each genotype.