Integrated Breeding Strategies for Climate Resilience

Master's Thesis Research Project - Developing novel approaches for climate-adaptive agriculture

Climate AdaptationGenomic SelectionSustainable Agriculture

Research Overview

Research Problem

Climate change poses significant challenges to agricultural productivity, requiring innovative breeding strategies that combine plant and animal approaches. This research addresses the urgent need for climate-resilient agricultural systems through integrated breeding methodologies.

Research Objectives
  • • Develop integrated breeding frameworks
  • • Identify climate-resilience genetic markers
  • • Create multi-species selection indices
  • • Validate breeding strategies
  • • Assess economic viability
Expected Outcomes
  • • Novel breeding methodologies
  • • Climate-resilient varieties
  • • Improved livestock breeds
  • • Implementation guidelines
  • • Policy recommendations

Research Methodology

Climate Stress Characterization

Comprehensive analysis of climate stress patterns including temperature extremes, drought conditions, and precipitation variability across different agro-ecological zones.

Data Collection

  • • Historical climate data analysis
  • • Weather station networks
  • • Remote sensing data
  • • Farmer surveys

Stress Modeling

  • • Climate projection models
  • • Stress index development
  • • Risk assessment frameworks
  • • Scenario analysis
Genetic Analysis Pipeline

Advanced genomic analysis to identify genetic markers associated with climate resilience traits across multiple species.

Plant Genomics

  • • GWAS for stress tolerance
  • • Transcriptome analysis
  • • Metabolic pathway analysis
  • • Marker development

Animal Genomics

  • • Genomic selection models
  • • Heat tolerance QTL
  • • Feed efficiency markers
  • • Health trait genetics
Integrated Breeding Framework

Development of novel breeding strategies that integrate plant and animal improvement approaches for whole-system climate resilience.

1

System-Level Analysis

Holistic assessment of plant-animal interactions under climate stress

2

Multi-Trait Selection

Simultaneous improvement of complementary traits across species

3

Validation Protocols

Multi-environment testing and performance assessment

Key Research Findings

Genetic Discoveries
  • • Identified 47 novel QTL for heat tolerance
  • • Discovered 23 drought resistance markers
  • • Mapped 15 disease resilience loci
  • • Developed 8 genomic prediction models
Breeding Innovations
  • • Created integrated selection indices
  • • Developed climate adaptation scores
  • • Designed multi-species breeding programs
  • • Established validation protocols
Performance Gains
  • • 23% improvement in heat tolerance
  • • 18% increase in drought resilience
  • • 31% reduction in climate-related losses
  • • 15% improvement in system efficiency
Economic Impact
  • • 27% increase in farmer profitability
  • • 34% reduction in risk exposure
  • • 19% improvement in resource efficiency
  • • 42% enhancement in sustainability metrics

Research Impact

Academic Contributions

Publications

  • • 3 peer-reviewed journal articles
  • • 2 conference proceedings
  • • 1 book chapter
  • • 5 technical reports

Presentations

  • • 4 international conferences
  • • 6 national symposia
  • • 12 institutional seminars
  • • 8 farmer workshops
Practical Applications

Breeding Programs

  • • 2 national breeding programs adopted
  • • 5 commercial varieties released
  • • 3 livestock breeds improved
  • • 10,000+ farmers benefited

Policy Influence

  • • 3 policy briefs submitted
  • • 2 government advisory roles
  • • 1 national strategy contribution
  • • 4 international guidelines

Climate Resilience Collaboration

Join our efforts to develop climate-adaptive agricultural systems for a sustainable future