Helpful Terms
Yield – Amount of a plant product (grain, fiber, etc.)
Genotype – Individual plant, line, hybrid, clone, or population that is evaluated as an entry during phenotyping
Phenotyping – Process of observing or measuring traits among different candidates (genotypes)
G x E (Genotype by environment interaction) – Differential performance of genotype across environments. Important in describing differences that might be seen between genotypes.
Cultivars – cultivated variety developed by breeding
Plant Breeding – The genetic improvement of plants for human benefits
Line – Individual that is partly homozygous or inbred (less genetic variation when compared to heterozygous counterpart); more likely to breed true
Maturity group – The maturity in soybeans is the length of time from planting to physiological maturity (right before harvest). Maturity group zones help define where a soybean cultivar is best adapted. The group is determined by abiotic (non-living) factors.
Figure 1: Illustration of maturity groups assigned in data set