A simple stepwise procedure of deriving selection index with restrictions.

A simplified alternative procedure was derived for computing selection indices with various restrictions. The procedure involved construction of a sub-index for the unrestricted traits by the conventional methods (Smith-Hazel index approach) and construction of a sub-index for the restricted traits based on the restrospective index approach. The two subindices were then combined to obtain the desired index which met the prespecified restriction. The formulation is straightforward and easy to compute and does not involve the complicated formula as does the derivation of restricted index by the use of the Lagrange multiplier method. As a consequence of simplification, the proposed procedure is approximate in terms of optimal gain in net merit. The procedure presented can also be extended to derive an index with simultaneous imposition of multiple restrictions. Numerical examples were given to illustrate the use of this alternative approach.