Advances in breeding of dairy cattle (Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science (72))

This collection reviews the latest research on dairy cattle genetics and advanced methods of genetic evaluation and selection. After an overview of genetic improvements achieved so far, Part 1 assesses the problem of inbreeding and genetic diversity in modern dairy cattle as well as opportunities for crossbreeding. Part 2 then goes onto review research on targeting non-production traits such as fertility, feed conversion efficiency and methane emissions as well as resistance to disease and resilience to heat stress. Part 3 then surveys the latest techniques and advances in genomic selection (GS) in such areas as functional annotation and use of sequence variants to improve genomic prediction, as well as developments in genetic evaluation (GE). The final part of the book reviews developments in embryo technologies, gene editing and the way new techniques are being integrated in practice into dairy breeding programmes. This collection reviews the latest research on dairy cattle genetics and advanced methods of genetic evaluation and selection. The book first assesses the degree of inbreeding and genetic diversity in modern dairy cattle as well as opportunities for crossbreeding. It then goes onto review research on targeting non-production traits such as fertility, feed conversion efficiency and methane emissions as well as resistance to disease. The following chapters in the book then survey the latest techniques and advances in genomic selection (GS) in such areas as functional annotation and use of sequence variants to improve genomic prediction. The book also reviews developments in genetic evaluation (GE), including the use of ssGBLUP and multi-trait across-country evaluation (MACE), and the application of these techniques to breeding progammes. With its distinguished editors and impressive range of expert chapter authors, this will be a standard reference for the dairy science research community and the dairy industry "This collection reviews the latest research on dairy cattle genetics and advanced methods of genetic evaluation and selection. The book first assesses the degree of inbreeding and genetic diversity in modern dairy cattle as well as opportunities for crossbreeding. It then reviews research on targeting non-production traits such as fertility, feed conversion efficiency, methane emissions and resistance to disease. Chapters also survey the latest techniques and advances in genomic selection (GS) in such areas as functional annotation and use of sequence variants to improve genomic prediction. The book also reviews developments in genetic evaluation (GE), including the use of ssGBLUP and multi-trait across-country evaluation (MACE), and the application of these techniques to breeding programmes"-- Provided by publisher Dairy cattle breeding faces challenges such as reduced genetic diversity and the improvement of production over functional traits. This collection reviews the latest research on genetics, genetic diversity and advanced methods of genetic evaluation and selection.