OptimGS: a dual integrative genomic prediction framework for improving cold stress tolerance in wheat.

Dual integrative genomic prediction framework improves cold stress tolerance prediction in wheat, achieving higher accuracy than traditional models across diverse datasets.

• Why it matters: Enhancing cold stress tolerance is vital for wheat breeding due to its complex genetic basis and low heritability, which challenge conventional selection methods.
• What they did: The study developed a framework that combines chromosome-wise predictions from 14 models using genetic algorithms under two strategies, tested on 4,269 wheat genotypes with cross-validation.
• The result: This approach consistently outperformed individual models and whole-genome methods, offering a robust tool to accelerate breeding for complex traits like cold tolerance.