Breeding Investment Research Articles

Stay or go? Changing breeding conditions affect sexual difference in colony attendance strategies of Atlantic puffins Fratercula arctica.

Male and female birds have different roles in reproduction and, thereby in their reproductive investment, which in turn may increase negative effects of poorer breeding conditions caused by e.g., climate change or ecosystem regime shifts. By using a 33-year time series of resightings of Atlantic puffins Fratercula arctica individually colour-ringed as breeders in previous years, we showed that the difference in colony attendance of male and female birds depended on the environmental conditions for raising young, proxied by the average duration of the chick period and size of the herring Clupea harengus fed to the chicks in the colony each year. The longer the chick period, the more was the sex ratio of adults sitting visibly in the colony biased in favour of males. An increase in herring size, indicating better feeding conditions for raising chicks, led to more observations of both sexes. Additionally, we found that birds were observed less with age and females more so than males. We discuss the results in relation to general life-history theory on sexual differences in trade-offs between individual investment in breeding and own survival. Our results suggest that females are increasingly more willing than males to invest in provisioning for the chick the more and longer the chick needs such care.

Impacts of changes to Canada's Plant Breeders' Rights Act

AbstractOn February 27, 2015, as part of the Agricultural Growth Act, amendments to the Canada's Plant Breeders' Rights (PBRs) Act came into force, making Canada compliant with Union for the Protection of the New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) 91. One objective of adopting UPOV 91 was that it would encourage increased investment in plant breeding, giving Canadian farmers greater access to new and innovative plant varieties that enable them to be more globally competitive. To assess whether the adoption of UPOV 91 impacted crop variety investments, a survey of Canadian public and private plant breeders was undertaken in 2021–2022. Results indicate that the length of research grants play a significant role in plant breeders' perspectives. Previous research indicated that the adoption of UPOV 91 provided minimal incentives to increase investments. Results of this survey indicate that 52% of respondents, either agree or strongly agree, that the amendments to the PBR Act have provided an incentive to increase plant breeding investments.

Making decisions under demographic, management, and monitoring uncertainty with value of information

AbstractLearning and resolving uncertainty should be important components of management decisions, but not every type of uncertainty is equally important to resolve. For rare, threatened, and endangered species, information may be limited and there is often great urgency to halt potential population declines. Therefore, the most important uncertainties are those that would lead to different decisions intended to improve outcomes for species of interest. The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is an endemic species to the northeastern United States and is listed as a species of special concern, threatened, or endangered in all states in its current range. States within the historical New England cottontail range have made substantial investments in habitat management, captive breeding, and research, but considerable demographic, management, and monitoring uncertainties remain. Connecticut is the geographic core of the current range of the species and therefore has been the focus of many management efforts, including improving habitat, creating new habitat patches, removing eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus), and releasing captive‐bred New England cottontails. We used a value of information analysis to identify the optimal management decision given current uncertainty and to evaluate how sources of uncertainty might lead to changes in management decisions. Given the current understanding of the New England cottontail in Connecticut, we identified the optimal management decision as improving existing habitat patches without monitoring for the species and managers could expect a 3.4% increase in populations if decision‐making uncertainty could be fully resolved. Multiple sources of uncertainty influenced results, but variation in New England cottontail density and the response of the species to the removal of eastern cottontails were most likely to result in changes to management decisions. At lower New England cottontail densities, releasing captive‐bred individuals competed with improving habitat as the optimal management action. Accounting for the value of information benefits New England cottontail management by guiding research efforts toward information that is most beneficial for decision‐makers and providing insights into parameter thresholds that would lead to changes in management decisions.

Profit-Loss Sharing Contract as an Alternative to Solve Unemployment in Sudan through Investment in Livestock Breeding

<p>The profit-loss sharing (PLS) or <em>Mudārabah</em> is an Islamic contract in which one side provides capital and the other side provides work. Profits are to be shared in the proportion that was agreed upon before the contract was implemented. This paper aims to highlight the role of the <em>Mudārabah</em> contract in financing livestock projects, and its use in solving the problem of unemployment in Sudan, where livestock breeding is a productive activity that provides employment opportunities and increases the incomes of the workers, and increases the rates of economic growth, especially since Sudan is ranked among the richest Arab and African countries with its livestock and agricultural wealth, and there is a large number of the population of Sudan working in the agricultural sector including the animal and plant subsectors. A large number of Sudan’s population works in the agricultural sector. The paper also intends to examine the applications of the <em>Mudārabah</em> contract as an investment alternative that can be more effectively utilized in providing employment opportunities for university graduates and job seekers in Sudan. a descriptive-analytical approach was used to define the <em>Mudārabah</em> concept and show the types of its application, and the methods of employing it to finance livestock projects in Sudan. The paper reached several results, the most important of which is that <em>Mudārabah</em>, such as in the Prophet’s practice and its contemporary applications, is one of the most significant investment formulas that can be used to finance productive projects in the livestock sector, especially small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of livestock breeding in Sudan.</p>

Attaining SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) in Nigeria: The Role of the Plant Variety Protection Act 2021

The achievement of Zero Hunger by 2030 is the focus of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2. Despite its status as a major agricultural producer, Nigeria is confronted with a number of challenges that contribute to food insecurity and widespread hunger. The Plant Variety Protection Act 2021 was signed into law in Nigeria in 2021 to promote increased staple crop productivity for Nigerian smallholder farmers and to encourage investment in plant breeding and crop variety, as well as protect new plant varieties. This paper investigates the role of Nigeria's Plant Variety Protection Act 2021 (PVPA) in achieving sustainable food security under SDG2. The Act, which was passed to promote the protection of plant varieties and breeders' rights, has the potential to make a significant contribution to Nigeria's food security and agricultural sustainability. The challenges and criticisms of the PVPA are also discussed, and solutions to help achieve the target of zero hunger by 2030 are suggested.

Strategies employed by Sappi Forests for improved seed production of temperate and sub-tropical pine and eucalypt species, and their hybrids, for long-term sustainability in a changing environment

The annual demand and supply of genetically improved planting stock suitable for sites across varying landscapes, with changing climatic conditions and increasing pest and disease threats are becoming more complex. The agility for effective responses to long-term sustainability of commercial plantations, aimed at different markets, requires a significant investment in genetic resource acquisitions, tree breeding, land management, gene conservation and plant production systems. Tree breeding is one of our most important adaptation strategies in response to climate change and related challenges. These include pests and diseases, drought, frost, and delivery of fit-for-purpose fibre. To supply an annual demand of over sixty million plants, consisting of both pure species seedlings and hybrid cuttings, Sappi requires a well-established pipeline. In addition, this pipeline allows for the sale of between 30 and 40 million viable seeds to both the domestic and international markets. Early acquisition of pine and eucalypt genetic resources suitable for sub-tropical to warm temperate, cool temperate and cold areas has allowed the development of pure species base populations containing genotypes improved for the traits of interest. Through recurrent selection, these populations have been advanced. Key traits include growth, pest and disease tolerance, and wood properties. Various strategies have been adopted to reduce breeding cycles, convert from pure species seedlings to hybrid clonal varieties to sustain productivity. Production of commercial quantities of seed is a key step in translating breeding and development into realised operational gains. A range of orchard types such as breeding seedling seed orchards (BSO), seedling seed orchards (SSO) and clonal seed orchards (CSO) have been developed to produce not only open pollinated seed but also to allow production of control pollinated hybrid seed. Each orchard type and combination of elite genotypes delivers a specific seed product with varying levels of improvement. In addition, associated technologies to produce control pollinated seed have been developed for the advancement of both clonal eucalypt and pine family cutting programmes.

Rural Economic Development through ‘Basuduai’: A Model of Cattle Breeding Partnership in West Sumatera

The concept of ‘Basuduai’ on cattle breeding investment has been popularly implemented in West Sumatra for decades. Currently, this partnership modelling is still implemented in several villages and rural areas. This study aims to describe ‘basuduai’ as a socio-entrepreneurship approach in a simple descriptive method using the Business Model Canvas (BMC). Perhaps this model could also be implemented in other rural areas as an economic development approach. The data was collected through ten in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions (FGD) among the local partners in Payakumbuh, West Sumatra. Content and context analysis is conducted to describe the categorical theme for results analysis. The finding shows that cattle breeding investment as the 'Basuduai' system is an indigenous approach in the local community in West Sumatra. However, based on the business model canvas, the role of community leader should be prioritized to balance the system. Hence, the need for a formal socio entrepreneurship entity as the middleman should be developed. Perhaps, this study could contribute to the development of rural economic programs and could be replicated in other rural areas in Indonesia and also in other countries. Discussion and limitations are also stated in the study Keywords: Partnership Investment, Cattle Breeding, Business Model Canvas, Socio-Entrepreneurship, Economic Development, Economic EmpowermentJEL Clasification: L20, P32, R51

Plant Breeding and Intellectual Property Rights in Nepal

This article examines the adoption of plant breeders’ rights (PBR), also known as intellectual property rights (IPR), pertaining to plant breeding and genetics in various nations. Its main goal is to offer direction for the growth of an organized and competitive plant breeding industry in Nepal. The paper seeks to analyze the mechanisms that ensure adequate protection of intellectual property and returns on investment in plant breeding, drawing on international practices and treaties like the Convention on Biodiversity, Trade Related Aspect of Intellectual Property (TRIPS), and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The paper presents case studies to demonstrate how these issues are addressed by looking at the current IPR landscape in Asia, Europe, and North America. These results are the basis of policy recommendations to aid Nepal in developing a strong plant breeding industry.

Efficiency of Biological Typing Methods in Maize Hybrid Genetic Purity Estimation.

A high level of genetic purity in crop varieties must be achieved and maintained for agronomic performance, encouraging investment and innovation in plant breeding and ensuring that the improvements in productivity and quality imparted by breeders are delivered to the consumer. Since the success of hybrid seed production is dependent upon the genetic purity of the parental lines, in this study, the experimental F1exp maize hybrid and its parental inbreeds were used as a model system to examine the discriminative power of morphological, biochemical and SSR markers for seed purity assay. The highest number of off-type plants was estimated by morphological markers. According to the comparison of prolamins and albumins banding patterns of parental and derived F1exp seeds, genetic impurities could not be detected. Molecular analysis detected two types of genetic profile irregularity. Beside its use for verifying varieties of maize, report on umc1545 primer pair ability to detect non-specific bands (i.e., off-types), in both the maternal component and F1exp, which is the first report on this issue yet, strongly supports the recommendation of this SSR marker use for more accurate and time-efficient maize hybrids and parental lines genetic pyrity testing.

Policy Provisions and Implementation of Seed Technology Research, and Innovation in Nepal

Favorable policy provisions and their effective implementation are critical in promoting agricultural research innovation and technology development for ensuring food security and livelihood improvement of the farmers. This paper aims to (i) review current policy provisions made for research and innovations in the seed sector; (ii) assess its implementation status as envisaged in the policies and (iii) identify issues and gaps to make recommendations for potential policy solutions. The study employed a three-step process which included listing and review of the policies, followed by an assessment of their implementation status by developing a policy framework. The study showed that most policy documents have emphasized increasing production and productivity in agriculture, but have undermined the importance of research and technology to enhance agricultural productivity. In addition, current challenges such as nutritional security, natural resource management, and climate change have not been given adequate space in policy design. Very few policy documents have focused to develop climate-resilient varieties, breeds and technologies. Policy provisions for investment in agriculture research and innovation are inadequate and fragmented, despite their significant role in achieving a high rate of return in agriculture development. Analysis showed that investment, human resource development and institutional frameworks are weak, but the policy framework sounds relatively good. Therefore, it is urgent to manage human resources and investment as well as develop new provincial and local government agricultural policies and institutional frameworks aligned with federal policy considering the issues and challenges being faced in the present and what may happen in future. Increased investment and capacity development in plant breeding, modern technology, and seed system; facilitating public-private partnership and private sector to attract research investment; participatory and decentralized variety selection, release and recommendation; coordination mechanism for policy formulations and implementation; and provide incentives for research, release and promotion of domestically developed varieties are recommended to strengthen the variety and seed system innovations in Nepal.

Genetic trends for yield and key agronomic traits in pre-commercial and commercial maize varieties between 2008 and 2020 in Uganda.

Estimating genetic gains is vital to optimize breeding programs for increased efficiency. Genetic gains should translate into productivity gains if returns to investments in breeding and impact are to be realized. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic gain for grain yield and key agronomic traits in pre-commercial and commercial maize varieties from public and private breeding programs tested in (i) national performance trials (NPT), (ii) era trial and, (iii) compare the trends with the national average. The study used (i) historical NPT data on 419 improved maize varieties evaluated in 23 trials at 6-8 locations each between 2008 and 2020, and (ii) data from an era trial of 54 maize hybrids released between 1999 and 2020. The NPT data was first analyzed using a mixed model and resulting estimate for each entry was regressed onto its first year of testing. Analysis was done over all entries, only entries from National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), or private seed companies. Estimated genetic gain was 2.25% or 81 kg ha-1 year-1 from the NPT analysis. A comparison of genetic trends by source indicated that CIMMYT entries had a gain of 1.98% year-1 or 106 kg ha-1 year-1. In contrast, NARO and private sector maize entries recorded genetic gains of 1.30% year-1 (59 kg ha-1 year-1) and 1.71% year-1 (79 kg ha-1 year-1), respectively. Varieties from NARO and private sector showed comparable mean yields of 4.56 t ha-1 and 4.62 t ha-1, respectively, while hybrids from CIMMYT had a mean of 5.37 t ha-1. Era analysis indicated significant genetic gain of 1.69% year-1 or 55 kg ha-1 year-1, while a significant national productivity gain of 1.48% year-1 (37 kg ha-1 year-1) was obtained. The study, thus, demonstrated the importance of public-private partnerships in development and delivery of new genetics to farmers in Uganda.

The role of animal breeding in productivity growth: Evidence from Wisconsin dairy farms

AbstractWe examine the relationship between investments in animal breeding and productivity growth on Wisconsin dairy farms using a control function approach. We incorporate farm‐level annual investment in breeding and genetics into the law of motion of productivity as in De Loecker (2013) to test the relationship between these investments and realized productivity. Our unique dataset also allows us to look at the effect of choosing bulls with high milk yield potential on productivity. Our results indicate that breeding investments made 3 years prior are associated with higher productivity of the current cohort. However, the farms with the highest level of productivity reap the lowest benefits from breeding investments, suggesting that there are diminishing returns to investing in genetics. When milk output is not quality adjusted, the contribution of breeding to productivity is undetectable, suggesting that breeding and investments in milk quality are related. We conclude that investments in breeding and genetics significantly contribute to dairy farm productivity, especially in terms of milk quality.

Комплексный подход ускоренной селекции F1-гибридов ярового рапса на основе ЦМС

The breeding of F1-hybrids of spring rapeseed is the most effective approach to solving the problem of increasing rapeseed yield, as well as provides a more effective return on investment in breeding. Accelerated breeding of heterosis hybrids is provided by a complex of modern biotechnological and molecular-genetic methods. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is used to control hybridization in the industrial production of F1-hybrid seeds and for additional copyright protection. Molecular-genetic markers allow rapid determination of the type of CMC and differentiation between the lines of fertility restorers and sterility maintainers. By combining double haploid production and indoor planting for the development of maternal lines, the intensity of the breeding process can be increased by 2–3 times. In this research, we have genotyped a germplasm collection of foreign spring rape using the molecular marker ORF138 for the Ogura cytoplasm and divided the collection into two groups according to the presence or absence of the marker. Subsequently, doubled haploid lines (DHL) produced from a sample with Ogura cytoplasm were used as fertility restorer lines, and DHL from hybrids with a non-Ogura cytoplasm were used to develop female male sterile lines based on Ogura-CMC. The doubled haploid lines were evaluated in the field for the main economically valuable traits, and 30 fertility restorer lines and four male-sterile lines were hybridized to assess their combining ability. As a result, four DH lines J30, J26, J24 and Ki1ms were selected for future breeding of heterosis hybrids basedon Ogura-CMC and five promising spring rapeseed hybrids were identified according to the complex of traits and properties.

It's not all abundance: Detectability and accessibility of food also explain breeding investment in long-lived marine animals.

Large-scale climatic indices are extensively used as predictors of ecological processes, but the mechanisms and the spatio-temporal scales at which climatic indices influence these processes are often speculative. Here, we use long-term data to evaluate how a measure of individual breeding investment (the egg volume) of three long-lived and long-distance-migrating seabirds is influenced by i) a large-scale climatic index (the North Atlantic Oscillation) and ii) local-scale variables (food abundance, foraging conditions, and competition). Winter values of the North Atlantic Oscillation did not correlate with local-scale variables measured in spring, but surprisingly, both had a high predictive power of the temporal variability of the egg volume in the three study species, even though they have different life-history strategies. The importance of the winter North Atlantic Oscillation suggests carry-over effects of winter conditions on subsequent breeding investment. Interestingly, the most important local-scale variables measured in spring were associated with food detectability (foraging conditions) and the factors influencing its accessibility (foraging conditions and competition by density-dependence). Large-scale climatic indices may work better as predictors of foraging conditions when organisms perform long distance migrations, while local-scale variables are more appropriate when foraging areas are more restricted (e.g. during the breeding season). Contrary to what is commonly assumed, food abundance does not directly translate into food intake and its detectability and accessibility should be considered in the study of food-related ecological processes.

Red deer breeding investment risks

The article deals with the analysis of risks of an investment project on the example of a project for breeding red deer in the Samara region. The purpose of the study is to determine the list and degree of risks of an investment project associated with the breeding of red deer in the Samara region. Tasks to be solved: - study of the features of the red deer as an investment object; - preparation of a feasibility study for an investment project for breeding red deer, taking into account the climatic, natural, economic and legal characteristics of the region; - determination of the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the risks of an investment project being implemented under these conditions. An investment project related to the breeding of red deer in the Samara region has a unique set of investment risks. A standard qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing the risks and sustainability of investment projects can be used to determine the structure and size. Under these conditions, the investment project has a low and medium level of investment risks, mainly due to the uniqueness of the manufactured product and significant budgetary support for the project. When determining a quantitative risk assessment, it can be seen that when the most significant parameters of the project change in the range from -20% to + 20%, its results remain positive, and the planned production volumes are significantly higher than the break-even point and exceed it by more than 10 times.

Carry‐over effects on reproduction in food‐supplemented wintering great tits

Bird winter‐feeding has become a popular backyard activity around the world, particularly in northern regions of Europe and America with cold winters. However, the short‐ and long‐term ecological consequences of such artificial feeding remain inconclusive. In seasonal environments, timing of breeding is a crucial aspect that can strongly influence reproductive output and ultimately fitness. Individual condition at the start of the breeding season is especially important in determining breeding success, by influencing the onset of and investment in breeding. However, empirical evidence on the effects of winter feeding on avian breeding performance remain equivocal.We studied onset of reproduction (laying date) and breeding investment (clutch size) over seven consecutive seasons in a population of wild great tits Parus major in southern Sweden. During the first three years of study, no experimental manipulation was undertaken, while over the last four years the study area was exposed to either supplemented or unmanipulated winter feeding conditions. Breeding was positively affected by supplementary feeding during winter, as birds breeding in the supplemented area increased their clutch size compared to birds from the control area, although laying date remained unaffected by winter feeding. Since differences in clutch size were absent during the three years prior to the experimental manipulation, the results suggest that winter supplementary feeding, and not inherent differences between the two areas, was the reason for the observed effect. Both breeding parameters varied over the years of study, although the effects of the experimental manipulation on clutch size remained consistent, which suggests a carry‐over effect of winter feeding on subsequent breeding performance.

Segmentation of the Wild Animal Meat Consumer Market in Belém Municipality, Pará State, Brazilian Amazon

The growing demand for nutritious protein-rich foods has increased the visibility of the wild animal meat market, and created an alternative replacement for traditional meats. The informality in this product offer is a characteristic feature of this market. It is necessary to certify the existence of a public in this market niche. This segmentation of the wild animal meat consumer market in Belém municipality, Pará state, in the Brazilian Amazon, was carried out to identify consumers’ perceptions of the economic potential of this activity. Data were obtained from a representative sample of consumers in Belém, one of the most representative consumption centers in the Amazon. Market segmentation was performed using two multivariate techniques: factor analysis to simplify the original data matrix, and cluster analysis to identify homogeneous groups according to the highest degree of similarity of objects in relation to the attributes of interest. The survey results showed that factors such as consumption preferences, product availability, education level, income, and family composition are determinants of the consumption of wild animal meat. The study also confirmed the existence of a market for this product in food establishments such as bars and restaurants. The main wild animal meats consumed were tartaruga-da-Amazônia (Podocnemis expansa) (61.67%), alligator (Alligatoridae) (56.67%), paca (Cuniculus paca) (52.50%), deer (Cervidae) (40.83%), armadillo (Dasypodidae) (40.00 %), muçuã (Kinosternon scorpioides) (30.83%), capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) (29.58%), tortoise (Chelonoidis) (21.25%), tracajá (Podocnemis unifilis) (19.58%), peccary (Pecari tajacu) (17.08%) and sloth (Folivora) (12.92%). The expansion of this market, requires strategies to strengthen the regular sustainable supply of the product, including public initiative efforts regarding the regulatory framework of the activity and entrepreneurial efforts for the necessary investments in breeding and slaughtering system officers.

Three decades of organic wheat improvement: Assessing the impact and returns on investment

Abstract A changing regulatory environment and growing awareness are driving the need for crop improvement in organic agriculture. Contrary to conventional breeding, evidence on the economic effects of research and development in organic breeding is lacking. This study assesses adoption, economic impact, and rates of return to organic crop improvement research. The economic surplus method is used to quantify the impact of the Wiwa winter wheat variety. The standard model is enhanced by considering the economic benefits of improvements in crop nutrient and processing quality as well as resilience gains. Results show substantial economic returns of 18.6 per cent for the period from 1988 to 2019. The reduced downside risk of the organic cultivar is a key distinguishing factor in the analysis as organic breeding aims at providing farmers with resilient cultivars. Further investment in organic breeding appears as a promising element in the strategy for resilient and sustainable food systems.

Genetic Trends in Fusarium Head Blight Resistance from 20 Years of Winter Wheat Breeding and Cooperative Testing in the Northern U.S.A.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease of wheat and barley. In the U.S.A., a significant long-term investment in breeding FHB-resistant cultivars began after the 1990s. However, to this date, no study has been performed to understand and monitor the rate of genetic progress in FHB resistance as a result of this investment. Using 20 years of data (1998 to 2018) from the Northern Uniform and Preliminarily Northern Uniform winter wheat scab nurseries that consisted of 1,068 genotypes originating from nine different institutions, we studied the genetic trends in FHB resistance within the northern soft red winter wheat growing region using mixed model analyses. For the FHB resistance traits incidence, severity, Fusarium-damaged kernels, and deoxynivalenol content, the rate of genetic gain in disease resistance was estimated to be 0.30 ± 0.1, 0.60 ± 0.09, and 0.37 ± 0.11 points per year, and 0.11 ± 0.05 parts per million per year, respectively. Among the five FHB-resistance quantitative trait loci assayed for test entries from 2012 to 2018, the frequencies of favorable alleles from Fhb 2DL Wuhan1 W14, Fhb Ernie 3Bc, and Fhb 5A Ning7840 were close to zero across the years. The frequency of the favorable at Fhb1 and Fhb 5A Ernie ranged from 0.08 to 0.33 and 0.06 to 0.20, respectively, across years, and there was no trend in changes in allele frequencies over years. Overall, this study showed that substantial genetic progress has been made toward improving resistance to FHB. It is apparent that today's investment in public wheat breeding for FHB resistance is achieving results and will continue to play a vital role in reducing FHB levels in growers' fields.

Favorable spring conditions can buffer the impact of winter carryover effects on a key breeding decision in an Arctic-breeding seabird.

The availability and investment of energy among successive life‐history stages is a key feature of carryover effects. In migratory organisms, examining how both winter and spring experiences carryover to affect breeding activity is difficult due to the challenges in tracking individuals through these periods without impacting their behavior, thereby biasing results.Using common eiders Somateria mollissima, we examined whether spring conditions at an Arctic breeding colony (East Bay Island, Nunavut, Canada) can buffer the impacts of winter temperatures on body mass and breeding decisions in birds that winter at different locations (Nuuk and Disko Bay, Greenland, and Newfoundland, Canada; assessed by analyzing stable isotopes of 13‐carbon in winter‐grown claw samples). Specifically, we used path analysis to examine how wintering and spring environmental conditions interact to affect breeding propensity (a key reproductive decision influencing lifetime fitness in female eiders) within the contexts of the timing of colony arrival, pre‐breeding body mass (body condition), and a physiological proxy for foraging effort (baseline corticosterone).We demonstrate that warmer winter temperatures predicted lower body mass at arrival to the nesting colony, whereas warmer spring temperatures predicted earlier arrival dates and higher arrival body mass. Both higher body mass and earlier arrival dates of eider hens increased the probability that birds would initiate laying (i.e., higher breeding propensity). However, variation in baseline corticosterone was not linked to either winter or spring temperatures, and it had no additional downstream effects on breeding propensity.Overall, we demonstrate that favorable pre‐breeding conditions in Arctic‐breeding common eiders can compensate for the impact that unfavorable wintering conditions can have on breeding investment, perhaps due to greater access to foraging areas prior to laying.