A Jsl Script for the Analysis of Experimental Data in the Prognostic Breeding Methodology.

Prognostic breeding is an integrated crop-improvement methodology which is different from traditional breeding in many aspects. One of the main differences is that prognostic breeding is founded on the principle that the unit of evaluation and selection is the single plant grown in the absence of competition. The prognostic breeding methodology uses the honeycomb selection designs which are advanced experimental designs capable of evaluating a large number of genetic entries and a large number of replications. The designs counteract the negative effect of environmental heterogeneity on single plant yields by using moving replicates and place the plants of each entry in moving triangular grids that spread symmetrically throughout the field. Prognostic breeding enables selection of plants with high crop yield potential by utilizing the plant prognostic equation that evaluates plant yield potential and stability in the same generation, rather than in different generations. This paper will discuss the development of a JSL (the scripting language of JMP) script for implementing the prognostic equation used to select plants with high crop yield potential. The script provides a visual interface and user-friendly tools to explore the field layout and visualize the different honeycomb designs and the data recorded.