Using the Public Plant Breeding API (BrAPI) to Access Data from the Statistical Platform R

Several databases exist that store data from plant breeding experiments. To facilitate data access and data re-use a common Breeding Application Programming Interface (BrAPI) has been agreed between database developers from an international community representing the public and private sector. It is based on the principles of open linked data and a web-based architecture. This allows others to build additional tools including tools on platforms like R: A language and environment for Statistical Computing. Here we present a new R package called ‘brapi’ that retrieves data via the BrAPI interface. The main advantages are ease of use for data analysts, statisticians or breeders since the package converts the data into R objects and simplifies access for the R user. The R functions are largely named to be consistent with the BrAPI base calls including parameter names. The R functions return objects that are designed for easy further processing while retaining information about their origin to assist in tracking different data versions. The package has additional features to integrate with the popular RStudio: Integrated Development Environment for R to optimize workflows. We show how to connect to different databases and use the obtained data in subsequent R steps and visualization tools. The use of standards and protocols like the BrAPI increases the reusability of breeding data, contributing opportunities for more efficient breeding programs.