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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391078
Research Project: Enhancing Genetic Merit of Ruminants Through Improved Genome Assembly, Annotation, and Selection

Location: Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory

Title: Impact of breed ancestry on the performance of crossbred dairy cattle

Author
item JAAFAR, MOHD - Cornell University
item HEINS, BRADLEY - University Of Minnesota
item DECHOW, CHAD - Pennsylvania State University
item Van Tassell, Curtis - Curt
item HUSON, HEATHER - Cornell University

Submitted to: World Congress of Genetics Applied in Livestock Production
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/18/2022
Publication Date: 7/7/2022
Citation: Jaafar, M.A., Heins, B.J., Dechow, C., Van Tassell, C.P., Huson, H.J. 2022. Impact of breed ancestry on the performance of crossbred dairy cattle. World Congress of Genetics Applied in Livestock Production. Front Matter, Commun. 181, pp. 777-780. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-940-4_181.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-940-4_181

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Crossbred dairy cattle populations have different proportions of their parental breeds. However, individuals who display the same breed composition could exhibit remarkable differences in the distribution of local ancestry. Thus, this study examined the distribution of local ancestry blocks using Illumina BovineSNP50 genotypes and correlated them to key production traits. Two rotational crossbred populations, referenced as ProCROSS and Grazecross were assessed. The results showed higher ProCROSS milk production animals more commonly have Holstein ancestry on BTA 2,6,13,22 and 23, where the genes Prion, Lactotransferrin, and Cytochrome P450 reside. We found evidence of an excess proportion of Viking Red ancestry and a decreased Jersey ancestry on BTA 1,4,10, and 14 at known health QTL in the Grazecross population. In conclusion, we believe that localized breed ancestry plays an important role; thus, selecting and maintaining particular ancestry blocks is crucial to ensure optimal trait performance in crossbred cattle.