Evaluation of benefits in combining two Nelore populations for genomic selection

• Grant number: 17/13411-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: October 17, 2017
• End date: April 16, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Genetics and Improvement of Domestic Animals
• Principal Investigator: Lucia Galvão de Albuquerque
• Grantee: Samuel Wallace Boer dos Santos
• Supervisor: Guilherme Jordão de Magalhães Rosa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/24228-9 - Genomic wide association study for feed efficiency traits in Nellore cattle breeding programs, BP.MS

Abstract

Although the beef cattle breeding in Brazil plays a prominent role in the world scenario in terms of meat production, it is worth pointing out that the national herd has not been selected for feed efficiency so far. This suggests that animals are still far from their potential in terms of productivity and efficiency. With more efficient animals, the same level of production would be obtained with less input, reducing in feed costs and increasing profit. In the last decade, with the advancement of sequencing and genotyping technologies, high density chips of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) have been developed and are now more accessible and available. This information at the molecular level can be used in the implementation of genomic selection, benefiting mainly the improvement of difficult to measure traits. Due to high measurement costs, there is in general a low amount of information available about them, as it is the case of feed efficiency traits. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the possibility and benefits of combining two Nelore populations belonging to different breeding programs for genomic selection for feed efficiency traits. The dataset that will be used in this study are from Nelore animals, coming from two breeding programs. In total, phenotypic and genotypic information from, approximately, 1840 animals from both programs is expected to be available. The following feed efficiency traits will be studied: feed conversion rate (FCR), residual feed intake (RFI), average daily gain (ADG), and dry matter intake (DMI). (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MOTA, LUCIO F. M.; SANTOS, SAMUEL W. B.; JUNIOR, GERARDO A. FERNANDES; BRESOLIN, TIAGO; MERCADANTE, MARIA E. Z.; SILVA, JOSINEUDSON A. V.; CYRILLO, JOSLAINE N. S. G.; MONTEIRO, FABIO M.; CARVALHEIRO, ROBERTO; ALBUQUERQUE, LUCIA G.. Meta-analysis across Nellore cattle populations identifies common metabolic mechanisms that regulate feed efficiency-related traits. BMC Genomics, v. 23, n. 1, p. 12-pg., 2022-06-07. (09/16118-5, 17/10630-2, 17/13411-0, 16/24228-9)