Multi-objective optimized breeding strategies

Abstract

Multi-objective optimization is an emerging field in mathematical optimization which involves optimization a set of objective functions simultaneously. The purpose of most plant and animal breeding programs is to make decisions that will lead to sustainable genetic gains in more than one traits while controlling the amount of co-ancestry in the breeding population. The decisions at each cycle in a breeding program involve multiple, usually competing, objectives; these complex decisions can be supported by the insights that are gained by using the multi-objective optimization principles in breeding. The discussion here includes the definition of several multi-objective optimized breeding approaches and the comparison of these approaches with the standard multi-trait breeding schemes such as tandem selection, culling and index selection. We have illustrated the newly proposed methods with two empirical data sets and with simulations.