Quantitative Genetics in Maize Breeding

Handbook of Plant Breeding

Arnel R. Hallauer • Marcelo J. Carena • J.B. Miranda Filho

Quantitative Genetics in Maize Breeding

Public investment in maize breeding from 1865 to 1996 was $3 billion (Crosbie et al., 2004) and the return on investment was $260 billion as a consequence of applied maize breeding, even without full understanding of the genetic basis of heterosis. Quantitative genetics has allowed the integration of prebreeding with cultivar development by charact…