Ph.D Graduate

Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics, UW Madison

Curriculum vitae

Thesis

Resource allocation optimization for multi-environment trials in cereals breeding

Overview

Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, Pablo moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 2016 to work on his Ph.D degree with Dr. Gutierrez. He was interested in working on topics related to experimental design efficiency and quantitative genetics.

The thesis project focused on the evaluation of different strategies to control sources of variability at the micro and macro level in plant breeding programs through the optimization of resources. The efficiency of different experimental design strategies and spatial corrections were evaluated in different scenarios. In particular, a new alternative was proposed to allocate resources in multi-environment trials taking into account information on genotype-by-environment interaction, by evaluating genotypes in an unbalanced way within mega-environments. Finally, the use of “Speed ​​Breeding” applied in oats in combination with early panicle harvest was evaluated to increase the number of potential generations per year under controlled greenhouse conditions. These contributions are expected to contribute to improving the efficiency of plant breeding programs, improving genetic gain through the appropriate use of available resources and new technologies.

Research Interests

• Experimental design
• Genotype by environment interaction
• Resource allocation optimization

Funding Source

Hatch Act Formula Fund WISO1984

Fellowships/Scholarships

Jack and Marion Goetz Graduate Fellowship

O.N. Allen Agronomy Graduate Scholarship

Selected Publications

Hoefler, R., Gonzalez Barrios, P., Bhatta, M., Nunes, J., Berro, I., Nalin, R., Borges, A., Covarrubias, E., Diaz-Garcia, L., Quincke, M., Gutierrez, L. 2020. Do spatial designs outperform classic experimental designs?. In review: Journal of Applied Biological and Environmental Statictics

González-Barrios, P., Diaz-Garcia, L., Gutierrez, L. 2019. Mega-Environmental Design: using genotype by environment interaction to optimize resources for cultivar testing. Crop Science 59:1–17 doi: 10.2135/cropsci2018.11.0692.

González Barrios, P., Castro, M., Pérez, O., Vilaró, D., Gutierrez, L. 2017. Genotype by environment interaction in Sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) to optimize trial network efficiency. Sp. J. Agric. Res. 15(4): e0705. doi: 10.5424/sjar/2017154-11016. 

Lado, B., González-Barrios, P., Quincke, M., Silva, P., and Gutierrez, L. 2016. Modelling Genotype by Environment Interaction for Genomic Selection with Unbalanced Data from a Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Breeding Program. Crop Science 56:1-15. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2015.04.0207. 

González-Barrios, P., Speranza, P., Glison, N., Piccardi, M., Balzarni, M., and Gutierrez, L. 2015 Analysis of flowering dynamics heritability in the perennial warm-season grass Paspalum dilatatum. Grass and Forage Science 71:123-131. doi: 10.1111/gfs.12159. 

González-Barrios, P., Pérez-Bidegain, M., and Gutierrez, L. 2015. Effects of tillage intensities on spatial soil variability and site-specific management in early growth of Eucalyptus grandis. Forest Ecology and Management 346:41-50. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2015.02.031.