Estimation of breeding values of inbred lines using best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) and genetic similarities

Effective selection of parental material is an essential requirement for breeding success. Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) allows integration of all available information including pedigree information. However, for breeding self-pollinating crops the widely used coefficient of coancestry has disadvantages especially when pedigree information is not complete. This study was conducted to determine if, in the prediction of BLUP values, coefficient of coancestry can be replaced by genetic similarities which were calculated from DNA marker data. Three selection strategies based on BLUP (BLUP[E] including environmental effects, BLUP[E+A] = including environmental effects and pedigree data, BLUP[E+GS] = including environmental effects and genetic similarities) were compared to the commonly used selection among adjusted line means. We generated a "virtual" parental population where heritability and amount of missing data in the data were varied. A tight association between coefficient of coancestry and genetic similarities under roughly unbiased conditions indicates that genetic similarities could be used in BLUP of self-pollinating crops.