# Efficient Breeding by Genomic Mating

## TL;DR

This paper introduces genomic mating, a new breeding approach that uses genomic data and economic concepts to improve efficiency over traditional selection-based methods.

## Contribution

The novelty lies in applying economic concepts of risk and diversification to optimize mating in breeding.

## Key findings

- Simulations show genomic mating is more efficient than selection-based breeding.
- The method better utilizes genomic information compared to genomic selection.
- Optimum mating theory improves complex trait improvement in breeding.

## Abstract

In this article, we propose an approach to breeding which focuses on mating instead of truncation selection, our method uses genome-wide marker information in a similar fashion to genomic selection so we refer it to as genomic mating. Using concepts of estimated breeding values, risk (usefulness) and inbreeding, an efficient mating approach is formulated for improvement of breeding values in the long run. We have used a genetic algorithm to find solutions to this optimization problem. Results from our simulations point to the efficiency of genomic mating for breeding complex traits compared to truncation selection.