A General Model for Genetic Effects

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Abstract
A model is proposed to characterize the means of a fixed set of varieties, variety crosses and other entries obtained from these varieties and variety crosses. The varieties can be pure-line varieties, inbred lines with any degree of inbreeding as well as open-pollinated or synthetic varieties as long as the varieties are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Parameters are defined for additive, dominance and additive by additive epistatic effects assuming diploid inheritance. Tests are available from the analysis of variance for deviations due to higher order epistasis (and/or linkage with additive by additive epistasis). If the model is adequate, the performance of related entries can be predicted. In certain instances, the variance of the predicted mean will be less than the variance of an observed mean. [The model was applied to a maize diallel.].