WIAS Course: Simulation of breeding programs with the Modular Breeding Program Simulator (MoBPS)

Course schedule

This course is not scheduled yet.

Course description

Background: Breeding programs aim at improving the genetic characteristics of livestock and plant populations. As breeding is affected by a variety of interdependent factors, the analysis of the effect of certain breeding actions and the optimization of a breeding program are highly complex tasks. Although quantitative genetic theory can give approximations for simple breeding schemes, this typically is not sufficient for todays’ complex breeding programs and thus requires stochastic simulations with software like MoBPS for extended analysis.

Course topics: The course will include a general introduction to the MoBPS framework and breeding programs, as well as a series of exercises on how to use MoBPSweb (www.mobps.de) and the MoBPS R-package. In addition, there will be room for open discussion and specific questions regarding own breeding programs. After completion of the course, participants should be able to simulate common breeding programs in both plant and animal breeding including features such as:

  • Use of real genotype and phenotype data as input
  • Generation of traits
  • Simulation of multiple breeding cycles
  • Selection, phenotyping, breeding value estimation
  • Comparison of scenarios of a breeding scheme
  • MoBPS analysis functions

Assumed background knowledge: Basic understanding of genomic prediction and breeding programs. Participants are expected to bring their own laptops with a running version of R (version 3.4+). Basic programming knowledge in R is encouraged, but not mandatory.

Background reading material:

https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.120.401193

https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkab023

https://github.com/tpook92/MoBPS/blob/master/Guidelines%20to%20MoBPS.pdf

General Information

Target Group PhDs, postdocs, WUR staff, others
Course level in-depth, post graduate
Group size A minimum of 20 and a maximum of 30 participants
Course duration  2 days. Given once per year
Prior knowledge

Basic understanding of genomic prediction and breeding programs. Participants are expected to bring their own laptops with a running version of R (version 3.4+). Basic programming knowledge in R is encouraged, but not mandatory.

Home work/ self- study Minimal
Language English
Credit points  0,6 ECTS
Name lecturer Torsten Pook (torsten.pook@wur.nl)
Teaching method Lectures and exercise sessions
In-person Wageningen University campus.
Note: Room and building will be communicated to registered and confirmed participants about one week before the start of the course.

Fee (includes study and training material, coffee/tea and lunches)

1) Reduced fee: PhD candidates of Wageningen University doing a Training and Supervision Plan (TSP)

€150

2) University fee: All other PhD candidates / postdocs and staff of Wageningen University

€300

3) External participants €500

Cancellation condition

You may cancel free of charge up to 1 month before the start of the course. After this date you will be charged with the University fee, unless: 

  • You can find someone to replace you in the course and supply the course coordinator with the name and contact information of your replacement. In this case you will be charged a €50,- cancellation fee.
  • You are a PhD of Wageningen University with a valid reason to cancel (illness or death in the family 1st or 2nd degree). In this case you will be charged the reduced fee and your supervisor/PI must send a mail indication the reason for cancellation.

Note: WUR PhD candidates have priority. If the course is fully booked,  PhDs from other universities will be invited to join the course based on registration date.

Information: For more information please contact: paddy.haripersaud@wur.nl, tel: +31317486836 or wias@wur.nl