ABSTRACT
The upsurge in sequencing and genotyping technologies has enabled the mainstreaming of genomic selection (GS) in plant breeding programs globally. It is one of the leading approaches in efforts to accelerate genetic gain. In wheat, various approaches and models have been tested for improving prediction accuracies for complex traits including optimizing the size of the training population, relationships between individuals, marker type and density and by use of pedigree information, environmental covariates and other parameters. The progress in high-throughput, detailed imaging and phenotyping systems has provided an opportunity to improve prediction accuracies using high quality secondary traits. This chapter will review the advances made in GS-based breeding strategies for wheat breeding with a special focus on CIMMYT’s accomplishments in this area. The opportunities and challenges of effectively implementing GS routinely in a global wheat program are also discussed.
