Which of the following is a practical use of heritability in a breeding program?

• A. Predict potential response to selection
• B. Economic impact on profit
• C. Environmental variance
• D. Climate suitability

Answer: (A)

Heritability tells us how much of the observed variation for a trait is due to additive genetic differences, and that information is used to predict how much gain a breeder can expect from selecting individuals. In practice, this is captured by the breeder’s equation: R = h^2 × S. Here, R is the expected response to selection (genetic gain per generation), h^2 is the heritability, and S is the selection differential (the difference between the mean of the chosen parents and the population mean). When h^2 is higher, a larger portion of the selected difference is passed on genetically, so the predicted response to selection is larger. That makes predicting potential response to selection the practical use of heritability in a breeding program. The other options relate to economic outcomes, environmental variance, or climate considerations, which aren’t directly given by heritability.