Genomic Evaluations with More Genotypes
Author Information
Author(s): Paul M VanRaden, Jeffrey R O'Connell, George R Wiggans, Kent A Weigel
Primary Institution: Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory, USDA
Hypothesis
Can genomic evaluations improve reliability in Holstein dairy cattle using a larger number of genotypes?
Conclusion
Using more genetic markers in genomic evaluations can improve reliability at a lower cost by combining different marker densities.
Supporting Evidence
- Reliability of breeding values was high with 50,000 simulated markers.
- The gain in reliability from increasing the number of markers to 500,000 was only 1.6%.
- More than half of the reliability gain resulted from genotyping just 1,406 young bulls at higher density.
Takeaway
This study shows that using more genetic markers helps farmers choose better cows without spending too much money.
Methodology
Genotypes for 500,000 markers were simulated for 33,414 Holsteins, and missing genotypes were imputed using population and pedigree haplotyping.
Limitations
The study may not fully represent real-world conditions as it relies on simulated data.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on Holstein dairy cattle, including both young and older bulls.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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