Blaine Johnson, UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture professor of practice, will be leading a workshop Tuesday, Aug. 6 through Thursday, Aug. 8 titled "Analysis, Summarization, and Interpretation of Plant Breeding Data using Mixed Models with Echidna and ASReml Software". This three-day event will take place in the Goodding Learning Center, 280 Plant Sciences Hall on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus.

This workshop will cover the analysis and summarization of plant breeding data using mixed models and Echidna/ASReml software. It will enhance the skills required for writing software code for appropriate statistical models, executing the analysis of phenotypic data, generating summary reports from the output and using those reports to make plant breeding decisions.

The focus will be on the practical aspects of managing data and performing mixed model analyses, rather than on the underlying statistical theory. Participants are encouraged to bring their own datasets of interest to the workshop to explore options and methods for executing analyses.

“If you are overwhelmed by a complex plant breeding data set and the multitude of statistical models that could be used to analyze those data, let us help you systematically work through preparation and analysis of those data and help you prepare the output and summary tables that you need,” said Blaine Johnson, agronomy and horticulture professor of practice and workshop leader. “We can help you answer the perpetual question ‘These numbers tell me what?’.”

Workshop leaders include Johnson, Keith Boldman, retired research scientist at Corteva, and agronomy and horticulture graduate students Lorena Dumbá, Garrett Snodgrass and Akashdeep Kambj.

More information and registration available on the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture site.