The mean days-to-flower for a population of orchids is 130 days. You notice a st

Question

The mean days-to-flower for a population of orchids is 130 days. You notice a strikingly beautiful group of orchids in the population that you would like to cross for the next generation. You note that the mean days-to-flower in this group that you cross is 96 days. You would like to breed this particular line of orchids, but you want to know the heritability of specific traits, including days-to-flower. Luckily, you recorded the number of days-to-flower in the parents and offspring! You found the midparent-offspring regression produces a slope of 0.85. What is the mean number of days-to-flower in the offspring?

Explanation / Answer

As per Breeder's equation for heritability

R = h2 S

where R is response to selection, S is Selection differential and h2 is mid parent offspring regression slope or heritability.

Mathematically, R = Mean of offsprings for a trait - Mean of overall population for a trait

S = Mean of selected population for a trait - Mean of overall population for a trait

Putting the values in Breeder's equation, we get

(Mean of offsprings for a trait - Mean of overall population for a trait) = h2 x (Mean of selected population for a trait - Mean of overall population for a trait)

In present situation

Mean of selected population for a trait = 96

Mean of overall population for a trait = 130

h2 = 0.85

So, (Mean of offsprings for a trait - 130) = 0.85 x (96 - 130)

Mean of offsprings for a trait - 130 = 0.85 x (-34)

Mean of offsprings for a trait - 130 = (-28.9)

Mean of offsprings for a trait = (-28.9) + 130

Mean of offsprings for a trait = 101.1 days or 101 days

So, mean number of days-to-flower in the offspring = 101 days

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