Genome-wide association studies on body weight in Loumen ducks

Body weight is an important trait associated with meat production in the poultry industry. To better understand the genetic basis of body weights in ducks, we estimated genetic parameters and performed a genome-wide association study. The phenotypic values of body weights at ages 0 weeks (bw0) and 8 weeks (bw8) were collected individually from 199 Loumen ducks, and their genotypes were assayed with whole genome re-sequencing. The heritability of bw0 and bw8 are 0.32 and 0.43, respectively, and the genetic correlation of bw0 and bw8 was very low (−7.256e-5). The genome-wide association study results identified eight SNPs significantly associated with bw0 and bw8. The two and nine genes nearest to the significant SNPs were selected as candidate genes: PIK3R5 and MYH10 for bw0, and LOC119717016, RHOJ, PPP2R5E, BRF1, LOC106018961, NUDT14, JAG2, CEP170B, and AKT1 for bw8. Together, the SNPs and candidate genes identified in this study advance understanding of the complex genetic architecture of bw0 and bw8, and provide important clues for future implementation of a genomic selection program in Loumen ducks.