FastStack - evolutionary computing to stack desirable alleles in wheat (2018-2023)
Abstract
A major emerging challenge in wheat breeding is how to stack desirable alleles for disease resistance, drought, and end-use quality into new varieties with high yielding backgrounds in the shortest time. As the number of known desirable alleles for these traits increases, the number of possible crossing combinations that need to be considered increases exponentially. We will use evolutionary computing, widely used for solving highly combinatorial problems, with speed breeding and genomic selection, in the partners breeding program, to address this challenge. If successful, the project will lead to more profitable wheat varieties for Australian growers, and expanded exports to high value markets that require quality grain.
