1. Developing decision support “digital” tools for forage breeding programs in New Zealand
Building these tools requires an in depth understanding of the plant breeding process
Dr Zulfi Jahufer, Senior Research Scientist, AgResearch, Grasslands Research Centre.
Assoc. Prof. Plant Breeding, Massey University, New Zealand.
Prof. Plant Breeding, Lanzhou University, China.
Dr Dongwen Luo, Senior Data Scientist , AgResearch, Grasslands Research Centre.

2. Key steps: “from the breeder to the farmer”
Germplasm – Genetic diversity “Pre-Breeding”
High throughput Phenotyping
Molecular breeding methods “Genomic Selection”
Breeding strategy
How can we improve the efficiency of this process to deliver
Cost ($) Effective Novel Genetic Gain (∆)?
Multi-site evaluation
New Cultivar
Seed production
Marketing & sales
Uptake by Farmer

3. Plant breeders have a lot of information to process
How can we help breeders use this information to
Increase the rate of genetic gain based on cost ($) effective breeding methods.
Moisture stress
High ambient
temperature
Pests
Diseases
Improving
feed quality
Greenhouse
gases
Grazing
management
Endophyte
compatibility
Challenges
Traits
Molecular tools - Genome wide markers, GS
Transgenics
Interspecific hybrids
Efficient phenotyping -
Phenomics
Proper experimental design and field techniques,
Quantitative genetic modelling
Tools
Developing efficient & user friendly decision support tools that will enable:
Tiller density
Rate of regrowth
Forage Value Index
Yield + Persistence + Quality + ?
Efficient Experimental Trial Design,
Data acquisition and analysis,
Testing the efficiency of breeding strategies to achieve a predetermined level of genetic gain, through simulation,
Testing the efficiency of breeding strategies based on rate of genetic gain and cost $. DM ME

4. DeltaGen operational flow chart
DeltaGen – a tactical tool for plant breeders
Experimental Design & data entry spreadsheet

5. The Digital Decision Support Tool for Plant Breeders “DeltaGen”
Globally accessible on the cloud as freeware:

6. Completely randomized Randomized complete block Factorial
Row and column
Growth, Spread, PH,

7. Provides Seed packet labelling order for planting
Data collection pattern

11. Simulation: %∆ above HS population mean
Cost includes;
GBS parents,
Generating HS families’
The HS field trials,
Generating GEBV’s
(5)
(5)
$173,600
% ΔG per cycle above parental pop mean
(10)
$211,100
$286,100
(5)
(5)
$119,600
(10)
$750,000
$750,000
P, phenotypic
a, among
w, within

12. % selection intensity: PS among HS (GS within selected HS)
Based on: 3 years, 5 seasons, 3 locations,3 replicates, 1000 HS families. Assumed accuracy was 0.30 and cost per GEBV was $75
10(5)
5(1)
1(1)
1(3)
2(1)
% ΔG per cycle
No. sel. genotypes
45 (1,500)
1000 (20,000)
20 (2,000)
40 (4,000)
100 (10,000)
$431,000
$468,500
$618,500
$1,068,500
$1,818,500
% selection intensity: PS among HS (GS within selected HS)
$316,000

14. A useful tool to build a Forage Value Index
Yld RR ME
A useful tool to build a Forage Value Index
Yield + Persistence + Quality

15. A useful tool to build a Forage Value Index

17. Publications & software release
A total of 680 new users by country during the period Dec 2018 to Nov 2019
DeltaGen was released as FREEWARE on the cloud in March 2018
Toal of 2,630 sessions during this period.