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Genome-based selection for the improvement of natural enemies in biocontrol
ESR Update - Selective breeding for biocontrol beneficial traits is a promising tool to develop more effective biocontrol agents. Nevertheless, the estimation of genetic parameters using traditional selection is generally limited by the accuracy and completeness of the available pedigree information. Genomic prediction which using information from genome-wide DNA-markers make it possible to derive the genetic parameters without pedigree information. So far, no reports on genomic selection in insects, or other biocontrol agents, are available.
The main goal of my project is to use Nasonia vitripennis as a model to seek proof-of-principle for the use of genomic selection for key life history and biocontrol traits. Nasonia species are gregarious parasitoids of blowfly pupae, which are also used as a model species for complex developmental and evolutionary genetics. Similar to all Hymenoptera, N. vitripennis has a haplodiploid sex determination system, so another objective of my project is to deliver proof-of-principle: demonstrate the usefulness of genomic selection in haplodiploid organisms.
The source population for my project is N. vitripennis HVRx, an outbred population which was established by van de Zande et al (2014) from strains collected from the field in the Netherlands. At the early stage of my project, I showed that the effective population size and the genetic variation of this experimental population are sufficient.
Two independent traits: starvation resistance (life-history trait) and wing size (morphological trait) were first chosen as the traits to be used in our genomic selection experiment. The starvation resistance study was planned in collaboration with fellow BINGO-ITN PhD student Kelley Leung from the University of Groningen. Previous studies have shown that genetic parameters have significant effects on the accuracy of genomic prediction. Last winter a starvation resistance and wing size assay was conducted to optimize the large-scale genomic selection experiment. Genetic parameters for both traits can be estimated through this experiment consisting of more than 1500 individuals. So far, data for starvation resistance have been collected and analysed. Unfortunately, the results show that the heritability of starvation resistance is too low to be used in our genomic selection experiment. Currently, data recording and genetic parameters estimation for wing size is still in progress. Furthermore, I am evaluating potential other alternative biocontrol beneficial traits to be used in our genomic selection experiment.
Based on the results for the genetic parameter estimates of these target traits I will design a scheme that we will use for our genomic selection experiment.
Author: Shuwen Xia, MSc.