Abstract:
Synergy from the viewpoint of quantitative ecogenetics: golden mixtures, magical interactions and unique
correlations of types and environments
The problems encountered by ecogenetics of finding the best combinations of varieties and environments are very similar
to those facing researchers or consultants in the areas of management, organizational behavior and applied psychology. It is
difficult to define synergy and determine when synergy occurs, because that depends on our hypothesis and on the choice
of a measurement scale. For example, multiplicative interactive effects of combined factors which could be interpreted as
synergistic disappear if the measurements are expressed on a logarithmic scale. Nonlinearity of reaction norms of
interacting types makes it almost impossible to interpolate and extrapolate the synergy effects beyond the described set of
conditions. Effects declared as beneficially synergistic may also have side-effects or negative long-term consequences.