Gene stacking strategies with doubled haploids derived from biparental crosses: theory and simulations assuming a finite number of loci.

Recent progress in genotyping and doubled haploid (DH) techniques has created new opportunities for development of improved selection methods in numerous crops. Assuming a finite number of unlinked loci (ℓ) and a given total number (n) of individuals to be genotyped, we compared, by theory and simulations, three methods of marker-assisted selection (MAS) for gene stacking in DH lines derived from biparental crosses: (1) MAS for high values of the marker score (T, corresponding to the total number of target alleles) in the F(2) generation and subsequently among DH lines derived from the selected F(2) individual (Method 1), (2) MAS for augmented F(2) enrichment and subsequently for T among DH lines from the best carrier F(2) individual (Method 2), and (3) MAS for T among DH lines derived from the F(1) generation (Method 3). Our objectives were to (a) determine the optimum allocation of resources to the F(2) ([Formula: see text]) and DH generations [Formula: see text] for Methods 1 and 2 by simulations, (b) compare the efficiency of all three methods for gene stacking by simulations, and (c) develop theory to explain the general effect of selection on the segregation variance and interpret our simulation results. By theory, we proved that for smaller values of ℓ, the segregation variance of T among DH lines derived from F(2) individuals, selected for high values of T, can be much smaller than expected in the absence of selection. This explained our simulation results, showing that for Method 1, it is best to genotype more F(2) individuals than DH lines ([Formula: see text]), whereas under Method 2, the optimal ratio [Formula: see text] was close to 0.5. However, for ratios deviating moderately from the optimum, the mean [Formula: see text] of T in the finally selected DH line ([Formula: see text]) was hardly reduced. Method 3 had always the lowest mean [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] except for small numbers of loci (ℓ = 4) and is favorable only if a small number of loci are to be stacked in one genotype and/or saving one generation is of crucial importance in cultivar development. Method 2 is under most circumstances the superior method, because it generally showed the highest mean [Formula: see text] and lowest SD of [Formula: see text] for the finally selected DH.