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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Genetics and Animal Breeding » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391082
Research Project: Developing a Systems Biology Approach to Enhance Efficiency and Sustainability of Beef and Lamb Production

Location: Genetics and Animal Breeding

Title: Genomic prediction of wool shedding in a composite sheep flock using pooled allele frequencies and individual genotypes

Author
item VARGAS, JURADO - University Of Nebraska
item Keele, John
item Kuehn, Larry
item LEWIS, RONALD - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: World Congress of Genetics Applied in Livestock Production
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/2/2023
Publication Date: 7/3/2023
Citation: Vargas, J.N., Keele, J.W., Kuehn, L.A., Lewis, R.M. 2023. Genomic prediction of wool shedding in a composite sheep flock using pooled allele frequencies and individual genotypes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the World Congress of Genetics Applied in Livestock Production, July 3-8, 2022, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Session 25. p.35.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Due to rising shearing costs and fluctuations in wool prices, developing composite sheep breeds that shed their wool annually has gained interest. Pooling DNA of progeny is a cost-efficient alternative to estimate genomic breeding values (GEBV) of sires. The aim of the study was to measure the correlation between sire GEBV obtained by pooling and mean sire progeny phenotype scaled by the heritability. Wool shedding records on lambs and adults from a composite flock were analysed, and a total of 48 sires and 48 pools were genotyped. Pools were constructed using partitioning around medoids. The correlation between genomic and pedigree relationships was 0.83 ± 0.02. Accuracy of GEBV for sires was 0.41 (0.14 – 0.62) while the correlation between GEBV and EBV obtained from pedigree best linear unbiased prediction was 0.79 (0.65 – 0.88). In conclusion, GEBV of sires obtained by pooling allele frequency of their progeny and pedigree EBV were consistent.