Genotype-by-Environment Interaction in Interspecific \u3cem\u3eUrochloa\u3c/em\u3e Hybrids Using Factor Analytic Models

Environmental factors can influence plant phenotypes shaping the expression of pastures. The ability to test genotypes in multiple environments is critical in a breeding program because important traits are heavily influenced by the environment. Nutritional quality is critical in forage breeding because it affects the rate of live weight gain in livestock as well as the quality of end products such as milk and meat. However, there is not much information on the environmental effect on agronomic and nutritional quality traits in tropical forages. For this reason, the objective of the present study was to investigate the genotype-by-environment interaction in a breeding population of interspecific Urochloa hybrids evaluated for agronomic and nutritional quality traits across four locations in Colombia, using factor analytic mixed models. Phenotypic correlations among traits ranged from 0.26 (plant area vs dry weight) to 0.93 (fresh weight vs dry weight), indicating a strong interaction in some traits. Genetic correlations among environments showed different ranges depending on the variable evaluated. For example, plant height genetic correlations among environments ranged from 0.16 to 0.9, indicating high genotype-byenvironment interaction. The factor analytic analysis revealed that two factors explained more than 60% of the genetic variance in all traits evaluated and that 80% of the environments were clustered in the first factor. Factor analytic biplot indicates that Llanos location differed strongly from other locations evaluated. Based on the results obtained, the factor analytic analysis is a useful tool to stratify environments and identify Urochloa cultivars adapted to different ecological niches

Biodiversity 2016. Status and Trends of Colombian Continental Biodiversity

This third volume of the annual report on biodiversity in Colombia continues the editorial line that begun in 2014. Using novel analytical and graphic proposals, these reports have the goal of communicating the contents to a broad public, making it available for discussion without sacrificing the quality of information. The challenge of communication continues to be a major part of the institutional project, and the new languages with which we are learning to communicate with society and other institutions are an experiment that we expect to be increasingly gratifying. The report for 2017 is already under construction and it counts on new digital technologies so the power of a colombian vital connection may be entirely expressed. The included content evidences that we are still far away from having a systematic follow-up about most of the topics related to the management of biodiversity and ecosystem services, which is the only way to evaluate the effectiveness of policies and investments made by society. In fact, a limitation that is recognized is that of identifying positive or negative changes that affect different levels of organization of life on this planet; therefore, our global navigation route of the Aichi targets is still to be verified. An additional purpose of this process includes the invitation of all Colombians to contribute in constructing and maintaining basic monitoring indicators for management since it is impossible to identify long-term trends of flora and fauna in the country without the support of institutions, researchers, and citizens. This challenge is immense in a megadiverse country such as Colombia. For this reason, the report will continue to open its pages to experts, and even indigenous peoples or local communities, for them to present their perspectives about environmental change and its effects on biodiversity in a systematic and documented manner. This has the objective of stimulating the commitment of everyone in the management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The only way of overcoming the risk of extinction is through the active process of social learning in which all sectors assume a part of the complex responsibility in protecting the forms of life of the country, a roughly counted tenth of all creatures on Earth. I thank all the people that contributed in this Report, those who have supported us in the phases of production, and all readers and users, who are the ultimate judges of its utility.Bogotá, D. C