By using a doubled-haploid population derived from F2 plants, additive and additive X additive genetic variances, as well as the number of segregating genes, can be estimated. An F2-derived doubled-haploid population may contain almost 50% more of the best recombinant than an F1-derived population. However, the best recombinant occurs in the same frequency in the two populations when there is n...

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping is a powerful tool for investigating the genetic basis of natural variation. QTL can be mapped using a number of different population designs, but recombinant inbred lines (RILs) are among the most effective. Unfortunately, homozygous RIL populations are time consuming to construct, typically requiring at least six generations of selfing starting from a het...