Case Study of Linking Genes to Physiology and Growth Phenotype with the CROPGRO-Dry Bean Model.

Hypothetical quantitative trait loci (QTL) were created along with linkage to physiological traits (genetic coefficients) as currently used by the CSM-CROPGRO-Dry Bean model.  Growth dynamics of vegetative stage, leaf area index, total dry matter growth, leaf mass, stem mass, pod mass, seed mass, single seed growth, seed number, and other variables were simulated and output every 7 days for a number of hypothetical lines resulting from hypothetical genetic recombination.  Then we developed optimization programs to search for the genetic traits that created these growth responses, but only giving the optimizer the growth dynamics.  The goal was to determine whether the optimizer could solve for the traits.  We will discuss this optimization approach, but just as importantly, we will discuss the different growth dynamics resulting from the genetic re-combinations