Helium: visualization of large scale plant pedigrees

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Computational Biology
• Plant Breeding

Background:

• Plant breeding relies on diverse data for identifying superior lines.
• Key traits like disease resistance and yield require continuous improvement for commercial success.
• Integrating data with pedigree structure is crucial for informed breeding decisions, especially for climate change adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an interactive visualization tool for integrating diverse data with plant pedigrees.
• To enhance decision-making processes for plant breeders in selecting crossing lines.
• To address the need for improved yield and climate change adaptation in plant varieties.

Main Methods:

• Development of a prototype pedigree visualization system using experimental barley data.
• Conducting a subjective user evaluation with domain experts.
• Iterative refinement of the visualization tool based on expert feedback.

Main Results:

• A unique dataset of experimental barley (H. vulgare) was utilized.
• A prototype system was developed and evaluated by domain experts.
• An interactive pedigree visualization tool, Helium, was created.

Conclusions:

• Helium enables seamless integration of multiple data types with large plant pedigrees.
• The tool provides an integrated environment for exploring complex pedigree data.
• User evaluations confirmed satisfaction with the abstract representation of pedigrees in Helium.