Genomic application in sheep and goat breeding

Rachel Rupp (1) , Sebastian Mucha (2) , Helene H. Larroque (1) , John Mcewan (3) , Joanne Coningtont (3)

1 GenPhySE - Génétique Physiologie et Systèmes d'Elevage
2 SRUC - Scotland's Rural College
3 Agresearch Ltd

Genomic studies in small ruminants were first possible in 2009 with the development of the 50K ovine SNP chip. Genomic evaluation has now been implemented in sheep in New Zealand and Australia, dairy sheep in France, and in goats in France and the UK. Specific issues of genomic selection for these species include : small reference population sizes, low linkage disequilibrium, multi-breed evaluations, lack of phenotype recording in many countries, and marginal cost-benefit at historic genotyping costs. Rapidly reducing genotyping cost coupled with a better understanding of how to maximize benefits of genomic selection mean adoption is poised to rise dramatically.

Mots clés: genomic; selection; goat; sheep

Domaines: Autre [q-bio.OT]

Rachel Rupp, Sebastian Mucha, Helene H. Larroque, John Mcewan, Joanne Coningtont. Genomic application in sheep and goat breeding. Animal Frontiers, 2016, 6 (1), pp.39-44. ⟨10.2527/af.2016-0006⟩. ⟨hal-02637118⟩