Over the last decade, there have been many technological developments that have enabled breeders to improve their results. As opposed to the past, when breeders depended only on their experiences and assessments, they can now rely on techniques such as marker-assisted selection and big data. Thanks to these advancements, the prospects of creating successful commercial varieties are boosted, thus rewarding higher turnover and a robust market position.
Crucial to these techniques is the data itself: greater the volume of the data, better the quality of breeding software predictions. The success of a new hybrid can be predicted, by delving into the characteristics of the intended crossbreeding parents and their offspring. However, how could a breeder easily record such data without having to spend half the day behind a computer? Besides, if this were possible, what would be the preconditions that such a tool should meet?
The three conditions of breeding observations
For assessing plants in greenhouses, several elements are vital:
- Assessing individual plants must be possible.
- Carrying out multiple and different assessments must be possible.
- Capturing photos must be possible.
Breeding is the art of discarding. All offshoots of a crossbreeding are unique. Hence each seedling must be assessed individually. The breeder identifies the stronger and more beautiful seedlings as opposed to the less endowed ones. Consequently, he rejects the inferior sorts and retains the superior variety.
Measuring is a key to knowledge. To this end, the breeder requires to carry out multiple assessments on a seedling, regarding different properties and characteristics (such as germination, resistance and so on), at different moments of the seedling's life cycle. For example, the germination of a seedling can be determined early in the life cycle of the plant, whereas the flower color becomes apparent at a later stage.
As the saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words. Hence, a breeder should be able to capture images of his seedlings. Say, he detects an exquisite seedling or one possessing a unique characteristic, he ought to be able to record such images.
Seedling Assessment
In Agriware it is possible, in combination with the mobile add-on of our partner, to make simple assessments in the greenhouse, using mobile phones or tablets.
Using inspection templates, a breeder could design specific and unique combinations concerning assessment criteria, which match the different life cycle phases of the seedlings. These templates are accessible from the mobile devices. In addition, each seedling can be assigned with a unique number and consequently, such inspections could be linked to specific plants. Also, it is possible to attach a photo to each inspection.
The recorded inspection values are immediately passed on to Agriware and can then fed into the breeding software. Since Agriware also records the parents from which the seedlings originate, the data registered in the breeding software can be easily linked to the hybrid. This information increases the chances of successful crossing combinations for the future.
