XVI International Symposium on Genetics and Breeding

In November 2025, the Universidade Federal de Viçosa hosted the XVI International Symposium on Genetics and Breeding, organized by GenMelhor, a group of graduate and undergraduate students from the Genetics and Breeding Program. The event was held under the theme “From Big Data to Improved Crops: AI’s Promise in Modern Plant Breeding.”

The symposium aimed to discuss the current and future impacts of artificial intelligence in breeding programs, from phenotyping to predictive modeling and decision-making. Participants had the opportunity to attend lectures and engage in discussions with several speakers from both universities and companies.

On behalf of the QGSL Lab, we would like to thank:

• Evandro Tambarussi (UNESP);
• Guilherme Simiqueli (Corteva);
• Gustavo Eduardo Marcatti (UFSJ/TheCROP);
• Henrique Marques de Souza (Unicamp);
• Larissa Pereira Ribeiro Teodoro (UFMS);
• Luciano de Costa e Silva (JMP);
• Luiz Alexandre Peternelli (UFV);
• Matheus de Paula Ferreira (UFV); and
• Osval A. Montesinos-López (Universidad de Colima).

Everyone generously shared their time and perspectives, adding great value to the event's discussions.