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Project properties |
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| Title | Breeding for Intercropping: Estimating direct and indirect genetic effects of maize and faba bean cultivars
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| Group | Plant Breeding, Laboratory of |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24-36 ECTS |
| Supervisor(s) | Jan Peter van der Hoeve; Max Wellens
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| Examiner(s) | Guusje Bonnema; Peter Bourke |
| Contact info | janpeter.vanderhoeve@wur.nl; max.wellens@wur.nl
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| Begin date | 2024/07/01 |
| End date | 2024/12/31 |
| Description | "Current cultivars are optimized for monocultures, raising uncertainty about their suitability for intercropping systems. We are conducting research to explore the possibilities of developing new cultivars specifically tailored to intercropping, by decreasing competition and increasing facilitation traits between different crop species.
In 2024, we are performing an field experiment to assess the performance of different maize and faba bean cultivars in intercropping systems. Our goals include identifying the amount of variation in so-called indirect genetic effects (how does the genotype of the neighboring crop influence the focal crop's performance), identifying relevant traits for intercropping systems, and designing potential breeding schemes for intercropping systems. As a thesis student, you will work on your own research question (to be decided together with us), help out in the field, and perform the relevant measurements and data analysis." |
| Used skills | Fieldwork, data generation through phenotyping, data analysis, determining the size and variance of direct and indirect genetic effects with the use of mixed models, gezelligheid
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| Requirements | Plant breeding related coruses, advanced statistics
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