Abstract #285
Section: Breeding and Genetics (orals)
Session: Breeding and Genetics - Health, Efficiency, Resiliency and other Novel Traits
Format: Oral
Day/Time: Tuesday 11:30 AM–11:45 AM
Location: Room 207/208
Session: Breeding and Genetics - Health, Efficiency, Resiliency and other Novel Traits
Format: Oral
Day/Time: Tuesday 11:30 AM–11:45 AM
Location: Room 207/208
# 285
The Efficient Dairy Genome Project: An overview.
C. F. Baes*1,2, A. Cánovas1, E. E. Conner4, E. Goddard5, S. Wegmann6, G. Hailu7, V. Osborne8, J. Pryce9, E. Wall2, Z. Wang10, G. Kistemaker11, P. Stothard10, F. Miglior1, F. Schenkel1, 1Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, 2Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 3Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland’s Rural College, Edinburgh, UK, 4Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 5Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 6Zuchtwertschätzung, Qualitas AG, Zug, Zug, Switzerland, 7Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, 8Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, 9Biosciences Research Division, Department of Economic Development and La Trobe University, Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, 10Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 11Canadian Dairy Network, Guelph, ON, Canada.
Key Words: efficiency, methane, genomics
The Efficient Dairy Genome Project: An overview.
C. F. Baes*1,2, A. Cánovas1, E. E. Conner4, E. Goddard5, S. Wegmann6, G. Hailu7, V. Osborne8, J. Pryce9, E. Wall2, Z. Wang10, G. Kistemaker11, P. Stothard10, F. Miglior1, F. Schenkel1, 1Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, 2Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 3Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland’s Rural College, Edinburgh, UK, 4Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 5Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 6Zuchtwertschätzung, Qualitas AG, Zug, Zug, Switzerland, 7Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, 8Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, 9Biosciences Research Division, Department of Economic Development and La Trobe University, Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, 10Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 11Canadian Dairy Network, Guelph, ON, Canada.
The development and application of novel genomic approaches within the dairy sector to address challenges and opportunities related to sustainable production is the goal of many national breeding organizations. The Efficient Dairy Genome Project is an international research initiative to improve feed efficiency and reduce methane emissions in dairy cattle using genomics. The aim is to deliver a worldwide database for feed efficiency and methane emission. This collation of data will allow for data exchange between partners, which is expected to greatly enlarge the reference population for the genomic analysis of feed efficiency and build a reference population for methane emissions. This project, which builds on partnerships with international collaborators, is currently well underway. Here we present specific objectives of the project, statistics of the current collated data, as well as updates on specific activities within the project, including establishment of a reference population for feed efficiency and methane traits, genomic analyses, whole-genome sequencing, as well as variant discovery and functional studies. Other aspects of the project include investigation into the societal value and acceptance of these new technologies as well as methods to implement genomic evaluations for feed efficiency and methane emissions into routine evaluations.
Key Words: efficiency, methane, genomics
