Module 6: Design and Advance F2 Nursery

Learning Objectives

Make use of F1 advancement andseed inventory update information completed previously todesign and advance F2nursery

Module Map

Introduction

Start New Nursery

oDesign F2 Nursery and Export Nursery Book

Design F2 Nursery List
-Basic Details Section
-Nursery Settings Tab
-Select and Add Information
-Germplasm Checks Tab
-Measurements Tab
Export and Save Nursery Book
Create F2 Nursery Field Map and Labels
-Make Field Map
-Create labels

oAdvance F2 Nursery

oMake and Save F3 Nursery List

oBulk F2 Seed

Measurements Tab
Settings for Advancement
Save Seed List

Introduction

In completing thesteps that follow you will apply information generated from F1 advance you completed in the Module 5 where you created an F2 nursery list. Recall that in module 5 you were advised to note down the information you entered for the F1. You will use this information and the F2 list to create/design a new F2 nursery, advance the nursery, and generate an F3 nursery list.

Start New Nursery

Designing an F2 Nursery and Exporting a Nursery Book

oDesigning an F2 Nursery

i.Click ‘Manage Nurseries’ at the left under Breeding Activities menu (Fig. 1).

ii.Click ‘+ Start a New Nursery’ button near top right to open the Create Nursery

form (Fig. 1).

Basic Details Section (update this information for F2)

iii.Enter the Basic Details on nursery name, e.g. F2 2010, description, and leave the default data and creator information unchanged (Fig. 1).

iv.Check the box by ‘Use a previously created nursery as a template’ (Fig. 1)

Figure 1

Nursery Settings Tab (update information for F2)

v.Click ‘Choose’ to open Nurseries form, expand Program Nurseries, and select the desired nursery name, e.g. F1 2010 nursery (Fig. 2).

vi.Click the orange ‘Select’ button to populate the Nursery Settings section with information from the F1 2010 nursery (this the one you selected earlier) (Fig. 2).

Figure 2

Selecting and Adding Information

vii.Click the blue ‘Save’ button towards the top left (Fig. 2) then the orange ‘Select’ button in figure 3 to save and return to Manage Nurseries window (Fig. 4).

viii.Update information as appropriate to your program

Figure 3

Figure 4

Germplasm and Checks

Give an explanation on why you will use check entries in an F2 nursery. Provide one or two examples of check entries you will use for your program.

  1. Browse for germplasm lists by click on Manage Lists under Breeding Activities (Fig. 1).
  2. Click on Browse hyperlink (Fig. 1), expand Program Lists, highlight the desired list of your program, e.g., UCR2010F2, and click ‘Select’ (Fig. 5).

Figure 5

  1. If it is an F2 nursery, e.g. F2 2010, that will not include checks do not browse to include them.

Figure 6

  1. Click the blue ‘Save’ button towards the top left (Fig. 6) to update information (Fig. 7).

Figure 7

Measurements Tab
  1. Clicking ‘Save’ in step iv will populate the measurements tab with traits you selected in module 5
  2. Update the traits as appropriate

oExport and Save Nursery Book

  1. Follow steps used in module 5 to save and export nursery book

At this point you have entered all the information needed and the F2 2010 Nursery is now ready for the next activities:

-mapping in the field

-label printing

-exporting a data collection file

oCreate F2 Nursery Field Map and Labels

Make Field Map
  1. Follow steps used to make field map in module 5 to make a filed map
Create Labels
  1. Follow steps used to create label in module 5 to create labels
  2. Click on the ‘Actions’ button and choose to map, print labels, export data file as desired (Figure 8).

Figure 8

Summary

Below are steps completed up to this point.

-You have used information from F1 advance to design an F2 nursery (no checks required for this nursery)

-Mapped the field

-printed labels

-Exported a data collections file

-Added data to the file and loaded the data to the database.

The next step is advancing the F2 nursery.

​Advance F2 Nursery

You will advance the F2 nursery based on the advancement criteria you chose when designing the nursery - ears, or individual plants selected. Designation for number of ears selected is ‘nEarsSel’.

oPreparatory steps

  1. Uploaded data for the advance. You have accomplished this step in the previous activities
  2. Review the data loaded in the Measurements Tab (Fig. 9) to make sure you have the correct information to avoid mistyped extreme values that will lead to erroneous decisions. Note that the number of F2 nurseries may be fewer than the number of individuals, for example, 123 entries but 246 ears (or individuals) selected. This, as you know, is because you perhaps selected multiple ears (individuals) for some entries, and that is expected.
  3. Click the blue ‘Save’ button to store to the database (Fig. 9).
  4. Click the ‘Actions’ button and select ‘Advance Nursery’ from the menu.

Figure 9

  1. Establish the settings for advancement (Fig. 10)
  2. Methods: Select breeding method is the same for each advance, and choose Single Plant Selection.
  3. Lines: Deselect the same number of lines selected for each plot. Choose nEarsSel (number of ears selected) as the variate to define the number of lines selected from each plot.
  4. Harvest Location: for example, CHIREDZI
  5. Harvest Date:enter date appropriate for your program; in this case March 2011
  6. Click the orange ‘Finish’ button when you have finished with settings selections to return to the Manage Nurseries window (Fig. 11)

Figure 10

oSave F3 Nursery List

Review the Advance List, which can be described as the F2 Harvest list. This list will also serve as the F3 nursery list. The 246 entries in this list represent all 246 ears selected from individual plants in the F2 nursery.

  1. Select Save Advance List to store the germplasm records and allocate GIDs (Fig. 11).

Figure 11

  1. Add a new folder to the Program Lists file directory by selecting the green + icon. Name the folder appropriately, e.g., 2011 Nursery Lists (Fig. 12)

Figure 12

  1. Highlight the new folder and name it F3 nursery list, e.g., MT2011F3S. Describe the list as 'F3 Maize Germplasm list (harvest list for F2 Single Plants)'. Set the List Type as HARVEST LIST (Fig. 13).
  2. Click the orange ‘Save’ button (Fig. 13).

Figure 13

oBulk F3 Seed

You will now prepare for advancing to the F3 generation, and for thisyou will bulk all of the F3 seed from the F2 nursery by plot, resulting in 123 entries.

Measurements Tab

  1. Open the ‘Measurements’ tab for the MT2010F2 nursery, click the ‘Actions’ button and select ‘Advance Nursery’ from menu (Fig. 14).

Figure 14

Advancement Settings

  1. Establish the settings for advancement and select ‘Finish’ (Fig. 15).
  1. Methods: Select ‘Breeding Method is the same for each advance’, and choose ‘Selected bulk’.
  2. Bulks: Check box by ‘All plots selected’ to ensures that seed from each plot is bulked
  3. Harvest Location:Use a location of your choicefor program, e.g., CHIREDZI.
  4. Harvest Date:enter a relevant date for your nursery, e.g., March 2011.

Figure 15

  1. Saving Bulked Seed List

The Advance List is a seed bulk from each of the 123 plots in the F2 Nursery.

  1. Click the orange ‘Save Advance List’ button to store the germplasm records and allocate GIDs (Fig. 16).

Figure 16

  1. Save the seed bulk list in the appropriate nursery folder, e.g., 2011 Nursery Lists folder. Name the list, MT2011F3B. Describe the list as the 'F3 Maize Germplasm list (harvest list for F2 bulks)' and the list type as HARVEST LIST. These will be names relevant to your program (Fig. 17).
  2. Click the orange ‘Save’ button to save (Fig. 17).

Figure 17