Statistical and Quantitative Genetics Studies

Quantitative genetics and plant breeding are non-exclusive and these disciplines has been benefited from each other for the past 100 years. As a matter of fact, the majority of economically significant traits in crops and livestock species are quantitative in nature rather than qualitative. Several biometricians have made a significant contribution to understand how quantitative genetics works. Different methods of plant breeding had evolved, and are still evolving. Traditional plant breeding methods emphasize the components of quantitative variance but accuracy, time, and effectiveness are the three key factors that conventional breeding faces while trying to decode this. High throughput next-generation sequencing has made it easier, more accurate, and more exact to understand the genetics of complex traits in a shorter time, which has also shortened the breeding cycles required for desired genetic gain. This book chapter mostly focused on the statistical tools that plant breeders used in their research to dissect the genetics of complex traits that are significant economically including both traditional and advance plant breeding methods.