[A novel method for determining an integrated character in quantitative genetics].

This paper describes a novel method using maximum entropy principle introduced by Shannon to construct a unique integrated character and gives a comparison between this method and multivariate statistics in quantitative genetics. In multivariate genetic analysis multivariate statistics is usually used for a polygenic system of multiple quantitative traits to form several complex character. Genetic analysis can be implemented through treating these correlated elementary traits by using the technique of principal component analysis or canonical correlation. Differing from the multivariate statistics, this paper presents a new method using maximum-entropy principle to obtain a unique integrated character from a set of correlated quantitative traits. This method has the advantages of simple mathematical structure and process, simple and clear results.