Implications of a whole genome scan in beef cattle

Traditional selection, based on phenotypes and pedigree, has gained success in genetic improvement of livestock. However, Genomic Selection (GS) is revolutionizing cattle breeding as genotyping cattle for 50,000 SNP is now feasible commercially. With GS, the values of markers discovered in a reference population are used as predictors in other populations, thus the persistence of linkage disequilibrium phase between populations is important. This proposal is designed to estimate the effects of markers across the genome, as well as patterns of linkage disequilibrium in beef cattle. It also explores methodologies to impute genotypes for related animals using a small number of markers on important animals. This will save genotyping costs, making the technology affordable for cattle producers. The outcomes of this proposal will have a direct impact on the genetic improvement of beef cattle, and thus production improvements capitalizing on new opportunities arising in the genomic era.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Stephen P. Miller

Student:

Duc Lu

Partner:

Agri-Food Knowledge Solutions

Discipline:

Animal science

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Guelph