Mating-environmental designs for breeding trials using bi-hierarchical incomplete block designs

Abstract

Bi-hierarchical incomplete block (BiHIB) designs form a sub-class of incomplete block designs used to eliminate two sources of variation where one source of variation is nested within the second. These designs, besides being useful as block designs under nested setup, can find excel-lent application potential in obtaining mating-environ-mental designs for breeding trials involving complete diallel/partial diallel/partial triallel/partial tetra-allele crosses. The construction procedures of BiHIB designs are easy and those designs with sub-block sizes 2, 3 and 4 and contents treated as lines, can be directly used to get desired types of crosses arranged in a block setup.