BrAPI v2: real-world applications for data integration and collaboration in the breeding and genetics community

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Bioinformatics
• Genetics

Background:

• Global agriculture faces pressure from population growth and climate change, necessitating efficient crop breeding.
• Advancements in phenotyping, genotyping, and predictive modeling accelerate genetic gains but create data fragmentation challenges.
• Integrating and managing diverse breeding data is crucial for developing improved crop varieties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the Breeding Application Programming Interface (BrAPI) project.
• To highlight the progress in developing the BrAPI data standard and community.
• To showcase BrAPI-compatible tools advancing agricultural innovation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a standardized data model for breeding information.
• Community-driven international collaboration to foster interoperability.
• Showcasing diverse tools built upon the BrAPI standard.

Main Results:

• BrAPI facilitates seamless data integration and management across breeding databases and tools.
• The BrAPI standard is software-agnostic, supporting various data types like germplasm, phenotyping, and genotyping.
• A growing community and numerous compatible tools demonstrate BrAPI's impact on research and breeding.

Conclusions:

• The BrAPI project successfully addresses data fragmentation in crop breeding.
• BrAPI enhances data sharing, interpretation, and management, accelerating agricultural innovation.
• The open-source standard is vital for efficient global breeding programs and food security.