The role of epistasis in the genetic architecture of quantitative traits is controversial, despite
the biological plausibility that nonlinear molecular interactions underpin the genotype …

▪ Abstract Phenotypic variation for quantitative traits results from the segregation of alleles at
multiple quantitative trait loci (QTL) with effects that are sensitive to the genetic, sexual, and …

Selection for inflorescence architecture with improved flower production and yield is
common to many domesticated crops. However, tomato inflorescences resemble wild …

Naturally occurring variation among wild relatives of cultivated crops is an under-exploited
resource in plant breeding. Here, I argue that exotic libraries, which consist of marker …

Interactions among loci or between genes and environmental factors make a substantial
contribution to variation in complex traits such as disease susceptibility. Nonetheless, many …

Indirect genetic effects (IGEs) are environmental influences on the phenotype of one
individual that are due to the expression of genes in a different, conspecific, individual …

Heterosis results in the phenotypic superiority of a hybrid over its parents with respect to
traits such as growth rate, reproductive success and yield. This hybrid vigor is determined by …

Until recently, it was impracticable to identify the genes that are responsible for variation in
continuous traits, or to directly observe the effects of their different alleles. Now, the …

Breeding by Design™ is a concept that aims to control all allelic variation for all genes of
agronomic importance. This concept can be achieved through a combination of precise …

Natural biodiversity is an underexploited sustainable resource that can enrich the genetic
basis of cultivated plants with novel alleles that improve productivity and adaptation. We …