Genetic Progress Achieved during 10 Years of Selective Breeding for Honeybee Traits of Interest to the Beekeeping Industry

Ségolène Maucourt,Claude Robert,Pierre Giovenazzo,Frédéric Fortin

doi:10.3390/agriculture11060535

Ségolène Maucourt, Claude Robert + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11060535

Copy DOI

Abstract

Genetic improvement programs have resulted in spectacular productivity gains for most animal species in recent years. The introduction of quantitative genetics and the use of statistical models have played a fundamental role in achieving these advances. For the honeybee (Apis mellifera), genetic improvement programs are still rare worldwide. Indeed, genetic and reproductive characteristics are more complex in honeybees than in other animal species, which presents additional challenges for access genetic selection. In recent years, advances in informatics have allowed statistical modelling of the honeybee, notably with the BLUP-animal model, and access to genetic selection for this species is possible now. The aim of this project was to present the genetic progress of several traits of interest to the Canadian beekeeping industry (hygienic behavior, honey production and spring development) achieved in our selection program since 2010. Our results show an improvement of 0.30% per year for hygienic behavior, 0.63 kg per year for honey production and 164 brood cells per year for spring development. These advances have opened a new era for our breeding program and sharing this superior genetic available to beekeepers will contribute to the sustainability and self-sufficiency of the beekeeping industry in Canada.

Highlights

At about the same time humans domesticated animals for food, they began a selection process, choosing individuals that exhibited specific traits
This statistical method is an international standard in breeding programs that has led to an improvement of up to 63% obtained in the response to selection in some animal production programs [5]
We present genetic improvements achieved during 10 years of selective breeding for several traits of interest to Canadian beekeeping: hygienic behavior, honey production, and spring development

Summary

Introduction

At about the same time humans domesticated animals for food, they began a selection process, choosing individuals that exhibited specific traits. Human societies have been exercising empirical selection on farm animals since the Neolithic period but systematically-structured selection programs did not appear until the mid-20th century, with the development of quantitative genetics and the Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP)-Animal model [4] This statistical method is an international standard in breeding programs that has led to an improvement of up to 63% obtained in the response to selection in some animal production programs [5]. Breeding honeybees is challenging due to their haplo-diploïd reproduction, genetic architecture, sensitivity to inbreeding and social nature, which define them as super organisms [7,8,9] These features explain why selection in beekeeping has not advanced as fast as in other animal productions [10,11,12]. Recent advances in computer science and statistics offer new possibilities that can be used with quantitative genetics, such as the BLUP-animal model adapted to the honeybee’s reproductive biology [17,18]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion