Optimizing genomic selection in soybean: An important improvement in agricultural genomics

Fast-paced yield improvement in strategic crops such as soybean is pivotal for achieving sustainable global food security. Precise genomic selection (GS), as one of the most effective genomic tools for recognizing superior genotypes, can accelerate the efficiency of breeding programs through shortening the breeding cycle, resulting in significant increases in annual yield improvement. In this study, we investigated the possible use of haplotype-based GS to increase the prediction accuracy of soybean yield and its component traits through augmenting the models by using sophisticated machine learning algorithms and optimized genetic information. The results demonstrated up to a 7% increase in the prediction accuracy when using haplotype-based GS over the full single nucleotide polymorphisms-based GS methods. In addition, we discover an auspicious haplotype block on chromosome 19 with significant impacts on yield and its components, which can be used for screening climate-resilient soybean genotypes with improved yield in large breeding populations.