Dairy

Regions of the Genome Associated with Mid-Lactation Feed Efficiency in Dairy Cattle

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Abstract

Regions of the genome associated with variation in feed efficiency and dry matter intake were identified using data from 3306 Holstein cows from Europe and North America. For feed efficiency, regions that explained the most variation were located on chromosomes 18, 5, and 3. For dry matter intake, top regions were 26, 5, and 25. For both traits no one region explained more than 2.8 percent of the total genetic variation. From these results we conclude that feed efficiency and intake are genetically and biologically complex traits that are impacted by many factors and the exploitation of no one particular gene will generate large genetic gains in these traits.

How to Cite:

Hardie, L. C. & Spurlock, D. M., (2016) “Regions of the Genome Associated with Mid-Lactation Feed Efficiency in Dairy Cattle”, Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 13(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ans_air-180814-1392