This paper explores the potential use of quantitative genetics principles in evaluating economic returns to plant breeding research. Basic factors affecting genetic progress are described along with possibilities for quantifying them in relation to research expenditures. An example with soybeans...

A wealth of information exists on ex post returns to research investments for agriculture in the aggregate and for several agricultural commodity groups of commercial importance in the United States. Many of the investments made in agricultural research and, consequently, many of the allocative...