scholarly journals Experiences in selecting on a total merit index in the Austrian fleckvieh breed

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 17-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Miesenberger ◽  
C. Fuerst
Keyword(s):  
Selection Index ◽  
Cattle Breed ◽  
International Exchange ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Economic Gain ◽  
Milk Traits ◽  
Breeding Values ◽  
Breeding Objective ◽  
Economic Weights ◽  
Estimated Breeding Values

Spotted cattle breed is the most common breed in Austria. Austrian Spotted cattle breed is bred as a dual purpose breed for more than 100 years. The breeding objective has changed over the time according to the different economic importance of the traits and according to the different possibilities in using estimated breeding values (EBVs) for selection. Since 1998 the breeding objective is defined as the aggregate genotype of production traits and functional traits. All economically important traits are combined according to their economic weights in the total merit index (TMI). The TMI is calculated by combining the EBVs of all traits using a selection index procedure. The index weights (b-values) are estimated depending on the reliabilities of the EBVs and are therefore different from animal to animal. Considering the intensive international exchange of semen from the best bulls, the cooperation in the breeding programs and the similar economic situation in agriculture the breeding organizations of Germany and Austria decided to make a joint across-country evaluation for all traits. Since November 2002 breeding values for all traits and as a logical conclusion the TMI are evaluated jointly. The result is a high acceptance of the EBVs and the TMI by the farmers because of smaller changes of the breeding values for national and foreign bulls between consecutive evaluations. The realized economic gain in the different traits is very close to the expected economic gain. In the last 10 years on average 88.2 % of the economic gain were realized in the milk traits, 4.2 % in the beef traits and 7.6 % were realized in the fitness traits.

A terminal sire selection index for UK beef cattle

1998 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Amer ◽  
R. Crump ◽  
G. Simm
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Mass Selection ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Breeding Objective ◽  
Estimated Breeding Values ◽  
Genetic Regression ◽  
Calving Difficulty ◽  
Calving Traits

AbstractA selection index which incorporates estimated breeding values of traits recorded in the United Kingdom pedigree beef cattle breeds is described. The breeding objective is made up of commercial carcass, calving difficulty and gestation length traits. Economic values for these breeding objective traits are summarized from related studies, while partial genetic regression estimates of breeding objective traits on recorded traits are derived mainly from the literature.The selection index is described in terms of the reduction in expected genetic response from selection on the index when individual recorded traits are omitted and the expected genetic responses in breeding objective traits with selection on the index under the assumption of mass selection. Failure to record all calving traits (birth weight, calving difficulty and gestation length) resulted in a reduction in expected economic response to selection of 8% from the situation where both calving traits and production traits (400-day weight, ultrasonic fat and muscle depths, and muscling score) are recorded. With a few stated exceptions, the index is relatively robust to errors in estimates of individual parameters.It is suggested that the total index be used to assist commercial bull and semen buyers in their selection decisions but that two sub-indices for calving and production traits also be published to allow buyers to adjust emphasis on the two groups of traits depending on their individual production circumstances.

scholarly journals Claw health and feed efficiency as new selection criteria in the Czech Holstein cattle Krupová Z., Wolfová M., Krupa E., Přibyl J., Zavadilová L.

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 408-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Krupová ◽  
M. Wolfová ◽  
E. Krupa ◽  
J. Přibyl ◽  
L. Zavadilová
Keyword(s):  
Feed Intake ◽  
Feed Efficiency ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Residual Feed Intake ◽  
Selection Response ◽  
Holstein Cattle ◽  
Breeding Objective ◽  
Economic Weights ◽  
The Impact

The objective of this study was to calculate economic weights for ten current breeding objective traits and for four new traits characterising claw health and feed efficiency in Czech Holstein cattle and to investigate the impact of different selection indices on the genetic responses for these traits. Economic weights were estimated using a bio-economic model, while applying actual (2017) and predicted (2025) production and economic circumstances. For the actual situation, the economic weights of claw disease incidence were –100.1 € per case, and those of daily residual feed intake in cows, breeding heifers, and fattened animals were –79.37, –37.16, and –6.33 €/kg dry matter intake per day, respectively. In the predicted situation, the marginal economic weights for claw disease and feed efficiency traits increased on average by 38% and 20%, respectively. The new traits, claw disease incidence and daily residual feed intake, were gradually added to the 17 current Holstein selection index traits to improve the new traits. Constructing a comprehensive index with 21 traits and applying the general principles of the selection index theory, a favourable annual genetic selection response was obtained for the new traits (–0.008 cases of claw disease incidence and –0.006 kg of daily residual feed intake across all cattle categories), keeping the annual selection response of the most important current breeding objective traits at a satisfactory level (e.g., 73 kg of milk yield per lactation, 0.016% of milk fat). Claw health and feed efficiency should be defined as new breeding objectives and new selection index traits of local dairy population.

Reducing methane emissions by including methane production or feed intake in genetic selection programmes for Suffolk sheep

2013 ◽  
Vol 151 (6) ◽  
pp. 872-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. COTTLE ◽  
J. CONINGTON
Keyword(s):  
Feed Intake ◽  
Selective Breeding ◽  
Deterministic Model ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Carbon Price ◽  
Breeding Systems ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Breeding Objective ◽  
Feed Costs

SUMMARYThe use of selective breeding to reduce methane (CH4) emissions is an option for reducing carbon emissions from livestock farming systems. The current study models UK lowland terminal sire (meat) sheep production systems to study the impacts of including CH4 emissions and/or feed intake as breeding objective and selection criteria traits in sheep breeding systems, on the predicted genetic responses of production traits. Nine breeding goal traits and 15 selection index traits were modelled in a Suffolk breeding flock with a deterministic model of trait economic values (EVs). Methane was given an EV equivalent to a carbon price varying from £0 to £538/t CO2-e. When currently used selection indices added feed intake as a breeding objective, CH4 reductions of 0·15 and 0·05 kg CO2-e/sheep/year were predicted when intake was, or was not, measured, respectively, with a zero carbon price. These reductions were relatively insensitive to carbon price. Overall economic (index) response to selection was insensitive to carbon price and increased with higher feed costs, when neither CH4 nor feed intake was measured. When CH4 and/or intake were measured, overall economic responses increased with higher carbon prices, when feed costs were zero. Methane and intake responses were only sensitive to carbon price (whether CH4 and intake were measured or not) when feed costs were zero. To achieve a desired reduction of 0·1 kg CH4/head/year (cumulative 30% reduction in 20 years) when feed costs were zero, CH4 and/or intake needed to be measured. If CH4 was measured, carbon price needed to be >£50/t CO2-e; if intake was measured carbon price needed to be >£100/t CO2-e. Including feed intake as a breeding objective trait with non-zero feed costs should assist in reducing CH4 in breeding programmes. Selective breeding of terminal sheep by index selection has the potential to contribute a reduction of up to 0·27 kg CO2-e per ewe per annum, depending on the traits measured, feed costs and carbon price. This would help meet the UK Government's greenhouse gas reduction targets for farming systems.

scholarly journals Relationship between longevity and selected production, reproduction and type traits

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Strapák ◽  
J. Candrák ◽  
J. Aumann
Keyword(s):  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Milk Traits ◽  
Breeding Values ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Dairy Traits ◽  
Type Traits ◽  
Estimated Breeding Values

The correlations between longevity, functional longevity, stayability and selected milk, reproductive and type traits were estimated; it was done on the basis of estimated breeding values for longevity, functional longevity, dairy traits, reproductive traits and stayability rates at the age of 60, 72, 84, and 96 months. The correlation between breeding values for longevity and functional longevity was 0.69. The correlations between longevity and stayability at 60, 72, 84, and 96 months of age were around 0.75 (from 0.73 to 0.76) whereas the correlation with stayability at 48 months was considerably lower (0.64). The breeding values for dairy traits showed a positive relationship with longevity (from 0.37 to 0.46) and a slightly negative correlation with breeding values for functional longevity (from –0.10 to –0.20). A low relationship was found between longevity and reproductive traits. Between the type traits and longevity traits only the conformation score for the form (0.18) and for the udder showed a positive correlation (0.24). The correlation between the form and functional longevity remained approximately on the same level whereas the correlation with the main udder score decreased to 0.08, which indicated a positive relationship between milk traits and udder scores.  

scholarly journals Selection index for bulls of Holstein cattle in the Czech Republic

2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 244-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Přibyl ◽  
P. Šafus ◽  
M. Štípková ◽  
L. Stádník ◽  
V. Čermák
Keyword(s):  
Selection Index ◽  
Body Measurements ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Linear Classification ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Breeding Objective ◽  
Body Conformation ◽  
Milk Performance ◽  
Source Of Information

Complex selection indexes are proposed for bulls of Holstein cattle in the Czech Republic. Partial breeding values for milk performance, fertility and body conformation are combined in the index. Conformation is expressed either by linear classification or by general characteristics and body measurements. Variants according to the traits included in breeding objective and in performance recordingwere tested – breeding objective comprised milk, meat, milkability, health, reproduction, longevity; production traits and linear classification of body conformation or production traits and general characteristics of body conformation and/or production traits, and general characteristics of body conformation and body measurements were used as source of information (in performancerecording). For practical use is recommended the variant of reduced selection index where milkability, health and meat performance were left out from breeding objective, and production traits and linear classification of body conformation were employed as a source of information. The index guarantees 69.30% reliability of breeding value estimate and the ratio of selection effects for milk, meat and secondary traits 78 : 8 : 14. The respective importance of milk performance in total (breeding values for milk and components) of reproduction and linear body classification as sources of information in the index are 79.61%, 15.52% and 4.86%.  

Developing breeding objectives for radiata pine structural wood production. II. Sensitivity analyses

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 2932-2942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miloš Ivković ◽  
Harry X Wu ◽  
Tony A McRae ◽  
Colin A Matheson
Keyword(s):  
Modulus Of Elasticity ◽  
Production System ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Basic Density ◽  
Radiata Pine ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
Breeding Objective ◽  
Economic Weights ◽  
Mean Annual Increment

In a companion paper we describe a bioeconomic model of a production system for radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) structural timber and estimated economic weights for four breeding-objective traits: mean annual increment, stem sweep, average branch size, and modulus of elasticity. In this paper we show estimation errors and the sensitivity of the economic weights to the input parameters of the production-system model. We also illustrate the linearity and independence of the economic weights and the sensitivity of selection indices to variation in economic weights and genetic parameters. Estimated standard errors of economic weights were generally low. Among the production-system parameters studied, discount rate and roundwood and sawn-timber prices had the largest impact on the estimates of economic weights. The relationship between the change in values of breeding-objective traits and the corresponding change in profit was nonlinear. The profit change due to change in one objective trait was not independent of the values of the other traits. The most important factors affecting the sensitivity of the selection index were the phenotypic variances of early selection traits such as tree diameter and wood basic density and the economic weights of mean annual increment and modulus of elasticity.

Economic weights and index selection of milk production traits when multiple production quotas apply

1989 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Simple Procedure ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Protein Ratio ◽  
Multiple Production ◽  
Economic Weights ◽  
Milk Volume ◽  
Agricultural Industries

ABSTRACTThe generation of profit in dairy production can be approximated by a generalized profit equation, which is a function of the genotype of the animals used. In the absence of legislated quotas on production, the economic weights for traits contributing to profit, for use in a selection index, have been shown to be simple functions of the partial derivatives of profit with respect to output of the traits. These functions reflect the fact that output in most agricultural industries will already be maximized, either because of saturated markets or limitations on total inputs. When a single quota applies, different functions result, which reflect the downward rescaling of enterprise size as output per animal of a trait under quota is increased. Difficulties arise when multiple non-independent quotas apply, such as in the United Kingdom (UK) milk market where quotas are triggered by both milk volume and fat concentration. The functions describing the economic weights are then dependent on the form of the dependency between the quota criteria and on the genetic change resulting from the applied selection index. Economic weights for milk volume, fat, protein and lactose yield applicable to Holstein'Friesian cattle in the UK were found to be –1·6 p/1, 76·6 p/kg, 170·0 p/kg and 7·0 p/kg, scaled to 1986 prices. These weights would not change much if the quota were changed to fat yield only. Use of appropriate selection indexes should result in genetic increases of milk volume, fat, protein and lactose yield, with gradual increases in fat and protein concentrations and the fat to protein ratio. In most situations, selecting on the combined evaluation for fat plus protein yield would be a simple procedure with high efficiency (0·995 of maximum efficiency).

scholarly journals Combined Multistage Linear Genomic Selection Indices To Predict the Net Genetic Merit in Plant Breeding

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2087-2101
Author(s):  
J. Jesus Cerón-Rojas ◽  
Jose Crossa
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Selection ◽  
Linear Combination ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Selection Response ◽  
Single Stage ◽  
Multiple Traits ◽  
Breeding Values ◽  
Genetic Merit ◽  
Estimated Breeding Values ◽  
The Individual

A combined multistage linear genomic selection index (CMLGSI) is a linear combination of phenotypic and genomic estimated breeding values useful for predicting the individual net genetic merit, which in turn is a linear combination of the true unobservable breeding values of the traits weighted by their respective economic values. The CMLGSI is a cost-saving strategy for improving multiple traits because the breeder does not need to measure all traits at each stage. The optimum (OCMLGSI) and decorrelated (DCMLGSI) indices are the main CMLGSIs. Whereas the OCMLGSI takes into consideration the index correlation values among stages, the DCMLGSI imposes the restriction that the index correlation values among stages be zero. Using real and simulated datasets, we compared the efficiency of both indices in a two-stage context. The criteria we applied to compare the efficiency of both indices were that the total selection response of each index must be lower than or equal to the single-stage combined linear genomic selection index (CLGSI) response and that the correlation of each index with the net genetic merit should be maximum. Using four different total proportions for the real dataset, the estimated total OCMLGSI and DCMLGSI responses explained 97.5% and 90%, respectively, of the estimated single-stage CLGSI selection response. In addition, at stage two, the estimated correlations of the OCMLGSI and the DCMLGSI with the net genetic merit were 0.84 and 0.63, respectively. We found similar results for the simulated datasets. Thus, we recommend using the OCMLGSI when performing multistage selection.

scholarly journals Implementation of an Economic Lifetime Net Merit for the Dual-Purpose German Black Pied Cattle Breed

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Saskia Meier ◽  
Danny Arends ◽  
Paula Korkuć ◽  
Sandra Kipp ◽  
Dierck Segelke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Cattle Breed ◽  
Breeding Value ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
Breeding Values ◽  
Fitness Traits ◽  
Milk Performance ◽  
Estimated Breeding Values

Recently, a Total Merit Index (RZ€) has been developed for German Holstein dairy cattle on the basis of margin in Euro. Our aim was to adjust this lifetime net merit for the dual-purpose German Black Pied cattle breed (DSN) accounting for beef production in addition to milk performance and fitness traits. We used the estimated breeding values of DSN sires and developed a breeding value for carcass weight and quality. Furthermore, we adjusted the German Holstein marginal profits per standard deviation, which are used to calculate the estimated breeding values, to DSN-specific values. The DSN Net Merit is the sum of the three sub-indices DSN Net Milk, DSN Net Fitness, and DSN Net Beef, which contribute to the DSN Net Merit with 52.84%, 43.43%, and 3.73%, respectively. The DSN Net Merit that was calculated for 33 DSN sires ranged between EUR −1114 and +709. The DSN Net Merit strongly correlates with the Total Merit Index. The implementation of the DSN Net Merit is useful for selection and mating decisions. Especially, the sub-index DSN Net Beef, which does not correlate with existing breeding values, can be used to maintain the dual-purpose character of DSN while modestly improving milk yield. The approach can be easily adapted to other dual-purpose breeds.

scholarly journals Sub-indexes for bulls ofHolsteinbreed in theCzechRepublic

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 254-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Šafus ◽  
M. Štípková ◽  
L. Stádník ◽  
J. Přibyl ◽  
V. Čermák
Keyword(s):  
Selection Index ◽  
Milk Proteins ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Linear Type ◽  
Breeding Values ◽  
Production Index ◽  
Holstein Breed ◽  
Total Index ◽  
Milk Performance ◽  
Available Information

Sub-indexes were constructed for bulls of the Holstein breed according to groups of production traits – production index for milk (IPH), sub-indexes for reproduction (IRH), longevity (IDH), health resistance (IOH) and fitness (IFH). Every index for selection for a group of traits applies all available information – breeding values for traits of milk performance, fertility and linear type trait classification. The sub-indexes were compared with the total index (SIH). The accuracy of total selection index (SIH) was 69.30%, the accuracies of the other indexes were as follows: IPH 83.32%, IRH 56.04%, IDH 9.80%, IOH 15.57% and IFH 9.86%. All of the indexes were standardised to have the mean 100 and standard deviation 12. Simplified index ZSIH was developed as a sum of IPH, IRH and IDH; its correlation with the total index is r = 0.992. If IPH is used, the values of secondary functional traits decrease. The use of IDH, IOH and IFH results in a decrease in milk performance. Selection differences, i.e. changes in breeding values at various intensities of selection according to some indexes and breeding values for kg of milk and kg of milk proteins, were tested on the basis of breeding values in a sample of the domestic population of bulls. The production index was compared with production indexes used in other countries. Correlations between production indexes were higher than r = 0.790.  

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