Research on the optimization of breeding
schemes initially focused on genetic gain, while
little attention was paid to inbreeding. It is now
well accepted that constraining inbreeding is
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an important element of breeding schemes.
Meuwissen (1997) developed a dynamic selection
tool which maximizes genetic gain while restricting
the rate of inbreeding. From a given set of selection
candidates, the method allows the selection of
a group of parents in which the genetic merit is
maximized while the average coefficient of coancestry
is constrained. Implementation of this
method results in a dynamic breeding programme,
in which the number of parents and the number of
offspring per parent may vary, depending on the
candidates available in a particular generation.