Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) is a key forage grass for Finnish agriculture, and improving its yield, winter hardiness, and digestibility is crucial for sustainable production. Our recent study explored the potential of genomic prediction to accelerate breeding progress by leveraging genotyping-by-sequencing and advanced statistical models.

Key findings:
* Heritability estimates ranged from 0.13 (yield at first cut) to 0.86 (digestibility at second cut).
* Genetic correlations suggest trade-offs between yield and winter survival but positive links between digestibility traits.
* Genomic breeding values were estimated using advanced statistical approaches, including a novel scaling of the genomic relationship matrix.
* Predictive ability reached up to 0.62 for digestibility, and validation confirmed moderate accuracy with little dispersion.

Despite concerns that genotype quality might impact predictions, our results show that genomic prediction remains a powerful tool for Timothy breeding in Finland. This research highlights the potential for data-driven breeding strategies to enhance forage crop resilience and quality.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-025-04860-9