Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics最新文献

{"title":"Genetic Parameters for Novel Feedlot Profitability-Related Traits in Nelore Cattle","authors":"Letícia Pereira,&nbsp;Fernando Baldi,&nbsp;Guilherme Jordão Magalhães Rosa,&nbsp;José Bento Sterman Ferraz,&nbsp;Tiago Zanett Albertini,&nbsp;Minos Carvalho,&nbsp;Raysildo Barbosa Lobo,&nbsp;Eduardo da Costa Eifert,&nbsp;Elisa Peripolli,&nbsp;Cláudio Ulhôa Magnabosco","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70031","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jbg.70031","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study aimed to estimate (co)variance components and genetic parameters for accumulated profitability (AFP) and profit per kilogram of liveweight gain (PFT), and their relationships with weight at 450 days of age (W450), scrotal circumference at 365 days of age (SC365), age at first calving (AFC), probability of precocious calving at 30 months of age (PPC30), age at puberty in males (APM), stayability (STAY), accumulated cow productivity (ACP), rib eye area (REA), rump fat thickness (RFT), residual feed intake (RFI), dry-matter intake (DMI), residual live weight gain (RG), and frame score (FRAME). Data of profitability from 3614 Nelore (<i>Bos indicus</i>) animals were used. The (co)variance components and genetic parameters were estimated using Bayesian inference in a multi-trait animal model. The heritability estimates for AFP and PFT were 0.18 and 0.02, respectively. AFP and PFT exhibited moderate to high genetic correlations with growth traits (0.64 to 0.65), carcass (0.43 to 0.44), feed efficiency (0.72 to 0.88), and frame (0.44 to 0.77), except for the correlation with RFT (−0.10 to −0.68), RFI (−0.23 to 0.28), and between PFT and DMI (0.26). Low to high genetic correlations (−0.47 to 0.76) with female reproductive traits and low correlations (−0.03 to −0.21) with male reproductive traits were observed for both traits. These results provide important information for improving economic performance by including complementary AFP and PFT tools in the selection criteria. Such traits can be strategic tools for producers when identifying animals with greater genetic potential for profitability, supporting decision-making in genetic planning and herd management.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":"143 3","pages":"411-421"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13054126/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145551809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic Prediction Ability Using Linear and Threshold Approaches for Different Stayability Definitions in Nellore Females","authors":"Letícia Silva Pereira,&nbsp;Larissa Bordin Temp,&nbsp;Eduarda da Silva Oliveira,&nbsp;Jorge Hidalgo,&nbsp;Cláudio Ulhoa Magnabosco,&nbsp;Fernando Baldi","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70033","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jbg.70033","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Enhancing female longevity through regular calvings improves herd replacement rates and reduces the costs associated with replacing low reproductive efficiency animals. Stayability (STAY), defined as a cow's ability to remain productive in the herd, is a categorical trait that challenges traditional genetic evaluation due to its non-normal distribution. This study aimed to estimate genomic predictions for different STAY definitions—based on the number of calvings at specific ages in Nellore females—and to compare the predictive ability of linear and threshold models using the linear regression (LR) method. Phenotypic and genotypic data from 187 herds provided by the Nellore Brazil breeding program (ANCP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) were used. Four STAY definitions (STAY48-2, STAY48-3, STAY54-2, STAY54-3, STAY72-3) were evaluated. Genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) were obtained using univariate linear and threshold models implemented in the BLUPF90 software family. Variance components were transformed from liability to observed scale. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.16 to 0.22 on the liability scale and 0.07 to 0.09 on the observed scale. Threshold models showed superior predictive ability compared to linear models, with higher accuracies (0.531 to 0.698 vs. 0.451 to 0.532), lower bias (−0.0004 to 0.008 vs. 0.027 to 0.096) and dispersion values closer to the ideal (0.932 to 1.000 vs. 0.811 to 0.848). Among the definitions, STAY48 with at least two or three calvings demonstrated the most consistent performance, representing a promising criterion for genetic evaluation in Nellore cattle.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":"143 3","pages":"457-464"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13054113/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145643170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stayability in the Era of Early-Challenged Females: Genetic Parameters and Correlations With Economically Relevant Traits","authors":"Letícia Silva Pereira,&nbsp;Larissa Bordin Temp,&nbsp;Gabriel Gubiani,&nbsp;Miller Teodoro,&nbsp;Cláudio Ulhoa Magnabosco,&nbsp;Fernando Baldi","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70026","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jbg.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study aimed to estimate the variance components, heritabilities and genetic correlations between four new different categories of stayability (STAY48-2, STAY48-3, STAY54-2, STAY54-3) with weight at 240 days of age (W240), weight at 450 days of age (W450), scrotal circumference at 365 days of age (SC365), age at puberty in males (APM), traditional stayability (STAY72), probability of precocious calving at 30 months of age (PPC30), ribeye area (REA), rump fat thickness (RFT), residual feed intake (RFI), dry-matter intake (DMI), residual live weight gain (RG) and frame score (FRAME). Records from 80,958 females born between 2000 and 2019, exposed to mating starting at 10 months of age, raised on pasture from 508 farms in the central-west, southeast, northeast and northern regions of Brazil that participate in the National Association of Breeders and Researchers (ANCP), were analysed. The (co)variance components were estimated by Bayesian inference in a two-trait animal model. The <i>posterior</i> means of heritability estimates for STAY48-2, STAY48-3, STAY54-2 and STAY54-3 were moderate to low, 0.20, 0.20, 0.22 and 0.22 respectively. The traits related to different categories of stayability showed low genetic correlations with male reproductive traits (−0.22 to 0.19), feed efficiency (−0.03 to 0.13), carcass (0.11 to 0.18) and body composition (−0.09 to −0.6), moderate with growth (0.04 to 0.29) and high with sexual precocity (0.88 to 0.93) and fertility (0.65 to 0.73). The heritability estimates of the different categories of stayability indicate genetic improvement for longevity in early challenged females. The genetic correlations with sexual precocity showed that its use as selection criteria is recommended for production systems of younger females challenged in the reproductive season rather than traditional stayability to increase the probability of stayability in the herd.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":"143 3","pages":"422-430"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13054110/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145589595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic Parameters of Age at Conception in Nellore Females Using Threshold Models","authors":"Raimundo Nonato Colares Camargo Júnior,&nbsp;Cláudio Vieira de Araújo,&nbsp;Marina de Nadai Bonin Gomes,&nbsp;Feliciano Benedetti de Freitas,&nbsp;Welligton Conceição da Silva,&nbsp;Simone Inoe de Araújo,&nbsp;Éder Bruno Rebelo da Silva,&nbsp;Alison Miranda Santos,&nbsp;José Ribamar Felipe Marques,&nbsp;José de Brito Lourenço-Júnior,&nbsp;André Guimarães Maciel e Silva","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70029","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jbg.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Age at conception is a critical factor in the intensification of production systems. It is crucial for intensifying production, optimising reproductive efficiency and boosting Nellore female productivity for genetic progress. However, the low heritability estimates currently limit the effectiveness of selection responses, thereby underscoring the necessity for more precise genetic parameter estimation methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic associations between body weights at weaning and yearling, and age at conception, in Nellore females. The methodology employed in this study involved the utilisation of a mixed polychotomous threshold model, a methodological framework that has been deemed appropriate for the analysis of categorical variables characterised by an underlying continuous distribution. The records of body weights at weaning and yearling, in conjunction with female age at conception, from 796 animals, were treated as a categorical variable associated with conception success. The (co)variance components were estimated via Bayesian inference using a Gibbs sampler. The mean heritability values were 0.43 (0.27; 0.60) for weaning weight, 0.63 (0.46; 0.81) for yearling weight, and 0.19 (0.06; 0.40) for the categorical variable of age at conception. While body weights exhibited a high additive genetic correlation were (0.79; 95% CI: 0.57; 0.96), correlations were lower between the categorical variable and weaning (−0.21; 95% CI: −0.75; 0.28) and yearling (0.34; 95% CI: −0.14; 0.71) weights. The study concluded that indicators of age at conception should incorporate additional selective criteria beyond body weight in order to improve the probability of conception.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":"143 3","pages":"403-410"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13054106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145544298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic Parameters and Genome-Wide Association Studies for Fertility and Reproduction Traits in U.S. Katahdin Sheep Based on the Single-Step GBLUP Methodology.","authors":"Alejandra Toro Ospina, Ronald M Lewis, Bradley A Freking, Joan M Burke, Thomas W Murphy, Carrie S Wilson, Luiz F Brito","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.70048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sheep production contributes to a secure and diverse food and fibre supply in the United States, with growing ethnic diversity strengthening demand. Katahdin is a composite hair-type sheep breed developed in the United States that has become the most popular breed in many regions of the country and the first one to have genomic selection implemented in its breeding program. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to estimate variance components of reproductive traits, including number of lambs born (NLB), number of lambs weaned (NLW), age at first lambing (AFL), and interval from first to second lambing (LI), in Katahdin sheep using the AIREML method and the single-step Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (ssGBLUP) approach, and to identify genomic regions and candidate genes associated with these traits. The datasets used consisted of 127,536 animals in the pedigree, phenotypic records of 56,128 parities from 24,067 ewes, and genomic data from 10,032 animals with 30,308 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) after quality control. Analyses were performed using the BLUPF90 family of programs. We observed low heritability estimates for all studied traits (0.09 ± 0.00 for NLB, 0.08 ± 0.00 for NLW, 0.09 ± 0.01 for AFL, and 0.08 ± 0.01 for LI). The genetic correlations between the traits ranged from 0.17 ± 0.02 (AFL and LI) to 0.79 ± 0.02 (NLB and NLW). All traits were found to be highly polygenic with all 14 significant SNP on eight (OAR) chromosomes (3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 15) having small effects on the total variability on the traits. These SNP were located near or within 18 candidate genes: four genes associated with NLB (AAK1, GFPT1, SLC23A2, and GDAP1), four with NLW (ARHGAP18, TTLL2, UNC93A, and GPR31), six with AFL (NAP1L5, FAM13A, HS3ST1, CCDC181, NME7, and BLZF1), and four with LI (TAF4, CDH4, CADM1, and SEL1L). These candidate genes have been previously associated with fertility, embryonic development, growth, disease resistance, and climatic adaptation traits. Our findings indicate that fertility and reproduction traits in Katahdin sheep can be improved through direct genetic selection. Genetic improvement for these traits will benefit from genomic selection as more accurate estimates of breeding values for selection candidates can be obtained at a younger age. Although the studied traits are influenced by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, the candidate genes identified enabled a better understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying reproductive performance in Katahdin sheep.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147576674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysing Resilience Indicator Traits in Austrian Fleckvieh, Brown Swiss and Holstein-Friesian Cattle.","authors":"M Agyiri, R Onzima, A Costa, B Fuerst-Waltl, F Steininger, C Egger-Danner, G Mészáros, J Sölkner","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.70046","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recent studies suggest that variations in milk yield during lactation can serve as a metric for assessing individual resilience, with minimum fluctuations reflecting greater resilience in cows. With automatic milking systems, multiple records can be obtained from many cows on a daily basis. Given that animals are continually exposed to a range of stressors throughout their productive life, identifying resilience traits is crucial for preserving both their productive and reproductive capacities. We studied two resilience indicators: natural log-transformed variance (ln(σ&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;)) and lag-1 autocorrelation (r&lt;sub&gt;lag&lt;/sub&gt;) of the daily deviations in milk yield recorded from the automatic milking system, with average daily milk yield incorporated as an additional trait to assess the correlations between the resilience indicators and milk yield. The resilience indicators were derived from three fitted lactation curves: the Wilmink curve, the penalised quadratic spline and the penalised cubic spline. The data consisted of 18,549,535 daily milk records of 37,118 Fleckvieh, 7322 Holstein-Friesian and 2784 Brown Swiss cows in 1070 Austrian dairy herds. The data were collected for lactation periods of up to 350 days across multiple parities. Additionally, the resilience indicators were calculated based on days 11-50 of lactation, as the transition period and early lactation are crucial moments for the cows. Genetic analyses were conducted using univariate and bivariate analyses to estimate heritability (h&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) and genetic correlations between the traits. Estimated breeding values of the indicator traits obtained from the genetic analysis were correlated with routinely estimated breeding values and official indexes of the cows, including dairy, health, functional and conformation traits. The resilience indicators were scaled to negatives (-ln(σ&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) and -r&lt;sub&gt;lag&lt;/sub&gt;) to compute these correlations, so that positive values indicate better resilience. The h&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; ranged between 0.09 and 0.20 for ln(σ&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) and between 0.04 and 0.06 for r&lt;sub&gt;lag&lt;/sub&gt;, with the highest estimates observed when the penalised cubic spline was used. Generally, the h&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; decreased when only the early lactation period was considered. Genetic correlations of the resilience indicators with existing traits were low to moderate, with stronger correlations observed with -ln(σ&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) than in -r&lt;sub&gt;lag&lt;/sub&gt;, particularly when estimated with the dairy traits. The negative correlations with milk yield, ranging from -0.13 to -0.45 for -ln(σ&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) and -0.03 to -0.23 for -r&lt;sub&gt;lag&lt;/sub&gt; suggest that selecting for the resilience traits may result in a reduction in milk yield. This study demonstrated that deviations derived from fluctuations in lactation curves are heritable. Among the two resilience indicators evaluated, -ln(σ&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) emerged as the more suitable trait for selection, considering its h&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; and posi","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147373626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reproductive Success in Beef Cows: Bayesian Evaluation of Genotype and Herbage Allowance Under Grazing Conditions.","authors":"Rodrigo Vivián, Raquel Pérez-Clariget, Ana Carolina Espasandín","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.70044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reproductive losses from breeding to weaning jeopardise productivity and sustainability in extensive beef cattle systems. This study evaluated the effects of cow genotype (purebred vs. crossbred) and herbage allowance (high vs. low) on reproductive success across three biologically relevant periods: (I) breeding to pregnancy diagnosis, (II) pregnancy diagnosis to calving and (III) calving to weaning. A total of 1069 reproductive events from Hereford, Angus and reciprocal crossbred cows were analysed between 2007 and 2022 under native pasture conditions in Uruguay. Bayesian generalised linear mixed models were applied to estimate posterior probabilities of reproductive success, accounting for repeated measures and individual cow effects. Crossbred cows consistently exhibited higher probabilities of success than purebreds across all reproductive periods. Under low herbage allowance, the crossbred advantage was most pronounced in Period III (Δ = 0.22; P (Δ > 0) = 1.00), followed by Periods I and II (Δ ≈ 0.13; P (Δ > 0) ≥ 0.99), indicating a moderate genotype × nutrition interaction. High herbage allowance improved outcomes for all cows, particularly during the calving-to-weaning stage. Cumulative probabilities (weaned/served) were approximately 0.43 for purebred-low, 0.63 for purebred-high and 0.78 for crossbreds under both herbage levels, corresponding to 30-35 more calves weaned per 100 cows served when using crossbred females. These results demonstrate that both crossbreeding and adequate herbage allowance enhance reproductive performance under grazing conditions and offer robust, cost-effective strategies to improve efficiency and resilience in extensive beef production systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147277779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Contribution of Fat Adjustment to Residual Feed Intake Estimation in Beef Cattle.","authors":"Larissa Bordin Temp, Letícia Pereira, Marcos Jun-Iti Yokoo, Cintia Righetti Marcondes, Roberto D Sainz, Fernando Bussiman, Jorge Hidalgo, Daniela Lourenco, Fernando Baldi","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.70045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Including fat thickness as a covariate in the regression model used to calculate residual feed intake (RFI) could help preserve carcass quality traits, such as marbling, flavour and juiciness, by accounting for variation in fat deposition. This study aimed to: (1) investigate the benefits of adjusting RFI for rump fat thickness (RFT); (2) estimate variance components and genetic correlations between RFI-calculated with (RFI_F) and without (RFI_W) adjustment for RFT-and growth, reproduction and carcass traits using genomic information in beef cattle; and (3) compute accuracy, bias and dispersion of RFI_F and RFI_W genomic breeding values predicted using single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP). We hypothesised that adjusting for RFT would account for a small proportion of RFI variability, and that genetic parameter estimates would support more balanced selection decisions. Phenotypic records were collected from 9094 Nellore animals (3253 females and 5952 males) over 14 feed efficiency tests conducted from 2011 to 2024. The pedigree included 17,407 animals, of which 5812 were genotyped. Linear and threshold animal models were applied for continuous and categorical traits, respectively. Heritability estimates were low for RFI_W (0.17) and RFI_F (0.16), with a strong genetic correlation between them (0.98), and a weak genetic correlation between RFI_W and RFT (0.15). Spearman correlations between RFI_F and RFI_W breeding values were high: 0.98 in females and 0.95 in males. Genetic correlations of RFI_W and RFI_F with growth, reproduction and carcass traits ranged from -0.33 to 0.35. Prediction accuracy was similar for RFI_F (0.43) and RFI_W (0.44), whereas bias (0.00 for RFI_w and 0.00 for RFI_F) and dispersion (0.05 for RFI_w and 0.03 for RFI_F) showed minor differences. Although RFI_F captured slightly more genetic variability, the impact was minimal and no differences were observed between RFI_F and RFI_W. The genetic correlations between RFI and traits related to growth, reproduction and carcass were close to zero to moderate, indicating that selection for RFI is unlikely to negatively impact these other traits. However, it is essential to consider the full set of traits in the selection process to avoid potential drawbacks to the overall genetic progress of the herd.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147277770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation of Genetic Parameters for Reproductive Traits in Murciano-Granadina Dairy Goats.","authors":"Jamshid Ehsaninia, Mohammad Bagher Zandi, Moein Taned, Alireza Bagheripour","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.70041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The primary objective of this study was to estimate the variance and covariance components, genetic parameters, and genetic trends for key reproductive traits in Murciano-Granadina (MG) dairy goats reared under Iranian breeding conditions. Data were collected over 6 years (2016-2021) from a commercial dairy goat farm located in the Chahshahi region of Kerman Province, southern Iran. The analysed reproductive traits included age at first service (AFS), age at first kidding (AFK), kidding interval (KI), gestation length (GL), service period (SP) and dry period (DP). The dataset comprised 7573 animals with detailed pedigree information involving 337 sires and 3772 dams. The flock was reared under standardised nutritional and management conditions within an intensive breeding system, ensuring optimal conditions for reliable genetic parameter estimation. Variance component and genetic parameters were estimated by Bayesian inference fitting a univariate animal model using the GIBBS1F90 program. Direct heritability estimates ( <math> <semantics> <mrow><msubsup><mi>h</mi> <mi>a</mi> <mn>2</mn></msubsup> </mrow> <annotation>$$ {h}_a^2 $$</annotation></semantics> </math> ) ranged from low to moderate, with GL showing the highest <math> <semantics> <mrow><msubsup><mi>h</mi> <mi>a</mi> <mn>2</mn></msubsup> </mrow> <annotation>$$ {h}_a^2 $$</annotation></semantics> </math> (0.23 ± 0.03), followed by DP (0.12 ± 0.05), AFK and AFS (both 0.12 ± 0.03). KI had a low <math> <semantics> <mrow><msubsup><mi>h</mi> <mi>a</mi> <mn>2</mn></msubsup> </mrow> <annotation>$$ {h}_a^2 $$</annotation></semantics> </math> of 0.10 ± 0.02, while SP showed the lowest estimate (0.007 ± 0.001), suggesting stronger environmental and management influences on this trait. Repeatability was moderate for GL (0.45 ± 0.06) and DP (0.19 ± 0.04), but low for SP (0.04 ± 0.01), reflecting variable trait consistency across parities. Genetic and phenotypic trend analyses revealed minimal, statistically non-significant (p > 0.05) fluctuations in all reproductive traits. The study demonstrates that reproductive traits in Murciano-Granadina goats under Iranian breeding conditions exhibit low to moderate <math> <semantics> <mrow><msubsup><mi>h</mi> <mi>a</mi> <mn>2</mn></msubsup> </mrow> <annotation>$$ {h}_a^2 $$</annotation></semantics> </math> , yet maintain sufficient additive genetic variance to allow for potential genetic improvement through selection.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146196112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unravelling the Genetic Mechanisms of Litter Traits in a Maternal Line of Pigs.","authors":"Guilherme Oselame, Suelen Fernandes Padilha, Maurício Egídio Cantão, Jane de Oliveira Peixoto, Aline Zampar, Adriana Mércia Guaratini Ibelli, Luis Orlando Duitama Carreño, Jader Silva Lopes, Pedro Henrique Ferreira Freitas, Marcelo Silva Freitas, Mônica Corrêa Ledur","doi":"10.1111/jbg.70042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.70042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reproductive traits related to litter size are the main indicators of reproductive efficiency in pig production and are continuously evaluated for the selection of maternal lines. Several environmental and genetic factors are involved with the development of these traits. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) allow a better understanding of the genetic control of complex traits, especially those with low heritability (h²). Therefore, this study aims to estimate the genetic parameters and to identify genomic regions and candidate genes associated with total number born (TNB), number born alive (NBA), and viable piglets at Day 5 (PV5) in a Large White female line. For this, 17,011 phenotypic records, 190,000 pedigree records, and 4366 animals genotyped with the Illumina 50 K and 80 K panels were used. Estimates of h², genetic (r_g) and phenotypic (r_p) correlations, and GWAS were performed with the BLUPF90 family programs. Positional candidate genes, their main biological processes, and networks were investigated using the Ensembl database and the BioMart, PANTHERdb, and STRING tools. The studied traits presented low h² estimates, but with high and positive r_g and r_p. In the GWAS, 14 significant genomic windows were identified for TNB, 10 for NBA, and 15 for PV5. These regions include 157 genes for TNB, 101 for NBA, and 140 for PV5, mapped across 10 different chromosomes. Among the genes located in those regions, the ESR1, THRB, SLIT2, and ZBTB2 were common to the three traits and are involved in processes of hormonal regulation, embryogenesis, immunity, and homeostasis. Moreover, 12 of those genes were new positional candidates for TNB, NBA, or PV5. Among them, we highlight the FSTL4, PAPPA, and TCF7 genes associated with PV5, which are involved with hormonal regulation, growth factors, and immunity, respectively. The SLIT2, MTHFD1L, OVOL2, SHB, and EXOSC3 genes, involved with embryogenesis and neurogenesis, were associated with TNB and NBA. Furthermore, uncharacterized genes, such as ENSSSCG00000058091, related to mitochondrial homeostasis, were associated with TNB, while ENSSSCG00000040472, related to protein synthesis, was identified for PV5. These new findings reveal common and exclusive genetic mechanisms that may influence important litter traits in pigs, helping the development of breeding strategies to optimise reproductive efficiency.</p>","PeriodicalId":54885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146167574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}