Genome-Based Establishment of a High-Yielding Heterotic Pattern for Hybrid Wheat Breeding

Hybrid breeding is a promising approach in selfing species to boost yield and yield stability. The success of hybrid breeding depends crucially on the clustering of germplasm into heterotic groups, and on the identification of a high-yielding heterotic pattern. Here we have developed a three-step approach to identify a promising heterotic pattern which comprises following elements: (1) The full hybrid performance matrix is compiled using genomic prediction. (2) A high-yielding heterotic pattern is searched based upon a developed simulated annealing algorithm. (3) The long-term success of the identified heterotic pattern is assessed. The three-step approach was successfully implemented and evaluated using a phenotypic and genomic wheat data set comprising 1,604 hybrids and their 135 parents. We show that hybrid wheat breeding based on the identified heterotic pattern boosts grain yield through the exploitation of heterosis and enhances recurrent selection gain. Thus, the framework for the recognition of heterotic groups developed in our study represents a central step forward to initiate hybrid breeding programs with the final goal of meeting the global challenges of an increasing demand for food, feed, and fuel.