Article
Agronomy
Lance F. Merrick, Andrew W. Herr, Karansher S. Sandhu, Dennis N. Lozada, Arron H. Carter
Summary: This review explores methods to optimize breeding programs for maximizing genetic gain and selection accuracy through genomic selection. These methods include reorganizing field designs, increasing the number of lines evaluated, and utilizing large amounts of genomic and phenotypic data.
Article
Agronomy
Clay Sneller, Carlos Ignacio, Brian Ward, Jessica Rutkoski, Mohsen Mohammadi
Summary: The formation of a genomic selection-based breeding consortium among soft red winter wheat breeding programs allows for genotype and phenotype cooperation, increasing the effective size of each program and improving accuracy by sharing germplasm and utilizing family relationships.
Article
Forestry
Ross W. Whetten, Keith J. S. Jayawickrama, W. Patrick Cumbie, Gustavo S. Martins
Summary: Over the past three decades, research on molecular genetics and genomics of forest trees has advanced significantly, leading to the development of new tools and methods that could be applied in breeding programs. However, breeders and researchers face different challenges due to their distinct perspectives and constraints. Breeders need to evaluate the benefits of new methods compared to existing practices, while researchers should understand the limitations and requirements of applied breeding programs. As different breeding programs have diverse characteristics, such as climate and rotation length, appropriate genomic tools may vary accordingly.
Review
Developmental Biology
Stephen Miller
Summary: The use of genotype information has greatly improved the predictability of Expected Progeny Difference in American Angus cattle. More than 50% of all registered calves have been genotyped. Animals with only a genotype now have genetic prediction accuracy equivalent to multiple progeny records. Reproductive technologies, such as artificial insemination and embryo transfer, have been widely adopted. Genomics has enabled embryo technologies to be more impactful, increasing the selection intensity and providing more information on females. Commercial animals genotyped could be targeted for oocyte harvesting, creating opportunities for low cost high value beef embryos.
REPRODUCTION FERTILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Silvia Garcia-Ballesteros, Jesus Fernandez, Miguel Angel Toro, Beatriz Villanueva
Summary: This study examined the benefits of genomic evaluation (GBLUP) compared to traditional BLUP in aquaculture selective breeding programs in the presence of common environmental effects. The results showed that GBLUP was less affected by these effects, with increasing benefits seen with larger family sizes and higher levels of linkage disequilibrium. In the absence of common environmental effects, GBLUP outperformed BLUP in terms of genetic gain, while in their presence, the advantage of GBLUP was even greater.
Review
Plant Sciences
Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Giovanni Galli, Karina Lima Reis Borges, Germano Costa-Neto, Filipe Couto Alves, Felipe Sabadin, Danilo Hottis Lyra, Pedro Patric Pinho Morais, Luciano Rogerio Braatz de Andrade, Italo Granato, Jose Crossa
Summary: The study discusses the importance of genomic prediction in tropical maize breeding and emphasizes on improving prediction accuracy under low budget and small-scale conditions. By exploring strategies such as germplasm characterization, mating design practices, and modeling of genotype-environment interaction, the accuracy of predicting tropical maize hybrids can be enhanced.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Diego Rubiales
Summary: Legume-based cropping systems are becoming popular in agroecological systems due to their environmental services and diverse uses. Breeding methods, including classical selection and genomic-assisted breeding, are being used to meet the specific requirements of each system and address the challenges of changing climate and stressful environments. Breeding targets for legume crops should focus on improved symbiosis, nutrient and water use efficiency, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Infusion of genetic diversity from landraces or wild relatives through pre-breeding is necessary for breeding these traits. Prospects and constraints are discussed.
OUTLOOK ON AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Yajun Chang, Huijun Zhao, Linhe Sun, Jian Cui, Jixiang Liu, Qiang Tang, Fengfeng Du, Xiaojing Liu, Dongrui Yao
Summary: The utilization of livestock waste has been a concern, but the presence of high levels of heavy metals poses a major obstacle to using biogas as a fertilizer resource. This study investigated the heavy metal contents in biogas residue, slurry, and discharged sewage from three representative farms in the Yangtze River Basin. The results showed significant differences in heavy metal contents between farm types. It is recommended to improve feed selection, biogas engineering, and biological purification technology, and to regularly monitor heavy metal levels to reduce environmental and crop pollution risks.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
K. Kramer, F. L. B. Meijboom
Summary: This paper examines the ethical evaluation of genomic selection in agricultural animal breeding and highlights the importance of setting the scope of discussion. The scope is determined by choices regarding the ethical concepts to include, the focus on new or existing ethical issues, and the treatment of genomic selection as a technique or a part of specific practices. The authors argue that ethical discussion should not be limited to new issues and should consider the implications of specific ways of applying genomic selection in practice.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
(2022)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Karansher S. Sandhu, Lance F. Merrick, Sindhuja Sankaran, Zhiwu Zhang, Arron H. Carter
Summary: The adoption of genomic selection and phenomics tools in plant breeding programs has significantly increased in the past decade. Genomic selection has shown potential in selecting superior genotypes with high precision and accelerating the breeding cycle, while phenomics aims to alleviate phenotyping bottlenecks and explore new large-scale phenotyping and data acquisition methods. This review discusses the lessons learned from genomic selection and phenomics in six self-pollinated crops and their implementation schemes, with a focus on rice, wheat, soybean, common bean, chickpea, and groundnut.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Deborah Raphael, Rosemary Frey, Merryn Gott
Summary: The study found that some haematological cancer survivors require more psychological support from health professionals, especially those aged 18-39, females, of 'Other' ethnicity, single, living with others, unemployed/on sick leave, experiencing significant distress, and with low/moderate social support.
PSYCHOLOGY HEALTH & MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Gyanendra Gongal, Habibar Rahman, Kishan Chand Thakuri, Kennady Vijayalakshmy
Summary: Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) are highly contagious livestock epidemic diseases that can rapidly spread across national borders. TADs pose a major threat to livestock and can cause significant damage to food security and the economy. South Asian countries are particularly vulnerable to TADs due to the movement of commodities and animals across borders. Diseases such as Peste des Petits Ruminants, Avian Influenza, Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Lumpy Skin Disease, and African Swine Fever are causing economic losses worldwide. Livestock diseases have a negative impact on farmers' livelihoods and the nation's economy. There is a need for a critical review of existing policies to ensure preparedness and prevention of TADs, including rapid diagnosis, surveillance, immunization, and coordination among South Asian countries. Regional cooperation and cross-border collaboration are necessary to control the spread of TADs, particularly for diseases like Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Peste des Petits Ruminants, and Avian Influenza. The paper suggests a future course of action to address the emerging and endemic TADs in South Asia.
VETERINARY SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Meghan Beck-O'Brien, Stefan Bringezu
Summary: The widespread loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services poses a threat to the resilience of food systems. Businesses, especially retailers, have a crucial role in monitoring and assessing the biodiversity performance of their products and must work towards mitigating biodiversity impacts through strengthened tools and partnerships with policy makers and customers. Operational targets are essential for monitoring biodiversity performance across all scales.
Article
Agronomy
Goro Ishikawa, Hiroaki Sakai, Nobuyuki Mizuno, Elena Solovieva, Tsuyoshi Tanaka, Kazuki Matsubara
Summary: This study developed core marker sets for wheat and barley, which can efficiently capture polymorphisms across the entire genome and accelerate breeding processes in a cost-effective manner.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
L. Cao, H. A. Mulder, H. Liu, H. M. Nielsen, A. C. Sorensen
Summary: The study compared three different strategies for dairy cattle breeding and found that forced gene flow strategies were more effective in increasing genetic gain under moderate genotype-environment interaction conditions.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Christos Palaiokostas, Henrik Jeuthe, Dirk-Jan De Koning
Summary: The Arctic charr breeding programme in Sweden has been ongoing for almost 40 years, with research indicating potential for further growth improvements and evaluating the impact of genotype-by-environment interaction. Studies have found genetic correlations between survival to the eyed stage and growth-related traits, as well as associations with inbreeding coefficients.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
J. Willforss, J. M. Morrell, S. Resjo, T. Hallap, P. Padrik, V Siino, D. J. de Koning, E. Andreasson, F. Levander, P. Humblot
Summary: The study utilized liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to analyze proteins in the seminal plasma of bulls, identifying specific proteins consistently correlated with fertility across multiple seasons. By combining these proteins, a molecular signature predictive of fertility was created. These findings enhance understanding of the bull seminal plasma proteome and potentially offer valuable markers for predicting fertility in individual bulls.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hadeer M. Aboshady, Nathalie Mandonnet, Anna M. Johansson, Elisabeth Jonas, Jean-Christophe Bambou
Summary: This study identified molecular genetic markers associated with gastrointestinal nematodes resistance in small ruminants through RNA-sequencing, with a specific focus on the T cell receptor signaling pathway. These genomic variants are expected to be valuable resources for molecular breeding for GIN resistance in goats.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
H. Wall, M. Boyner, D. J. de Koning, A. Kindmark, H. A. McCormack, R. H. Fleming, F. Lopes Pinto, R. Tauson
Summary: The study focused on long-life layers and investigated the effects on mortality, integument, and skeletal properties, with or without supplementation with dietary organic zinc. Results showed potential welfare threats in long-life layers such as keel bone integrity, claw length, and mortality rate, with organic zinc not significantly improving welfare conditions.
BRITISH POULTRY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Christos Palaiokostas, Anam Anjum, Henrik Jeuthe, Khrystyna Kurta, Fernando Lopes Pinto, Dirk Jan de Koning
Summary: Routine implementation of genomic information for guiding selection is not common in most aquaculture species. In the study, ddRAD-seq was used on an Arctic charr strain with a long history of selection, revealing low genetic differentiation and potential genetic regions affecting body length and age of sexual maturation.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Agustin Barria, John A. H. Benzie, Ross D. Houston, Dirk-Jan De Koning, Hugues de Verdal
Summary: This study investigated the genetic architecture of feed-efficiency traits in Nile tilapia breeding populations and demonstrated the potential of genomic selection to improve feed efficiency. By mapping genomic regions associated with these traits and identifying candidate genes, it was found that genomic prediction accuracy was significantly higher than using pedigree records, with a SNP density of approximately 5,000 SNPs being sufficient for accurate prediction.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jovana Marjanovic, Han A. Mulder, Lars Ronnegard, Dirk-Jan de Koning, Piter Bijma
Summary: Research finds that models for inherited variability can effectively capture the genetic sensitivity of individuals to competition and the cooperative genetic effects of individuals on their partners, while models for trait levels can only capture a portion of the genetic effects of competition.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
M. Sallam, H. Benhajali, S. Savoia, D. J. de Koning, E. Strandberg
Summary: The study investigates the level of bias and reliability of cross-country genomic predictions using national EBV or MACE EBV as dependent variables. The results show that, in most cases, using MACE EBV via single-trait approach can lead to less biased and more reliable cross-country genomic predictions.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Khrystyna Kurta, Henrik Jeuthe, Dirk Jan de Koning, Christos Palaiokostas
Summary: Arctic charr is a high-value species for Nordic aquaculture, but the variable reproductive performance in commercial farms hinders its industry expansion in Sweden. Traits related to sperm motility and concentration play a crucial role in male fertility and could be improved through selective breeding practices. The study found that the recorded sperm quality traits are heritable and could be predicted efficiently using genomic information.
AQUACULTURE REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Martin Johnsson, Helena Wall, Fernando A. Lopes Pinto, Robert H. Fleming, Heather A. McCormack, Cristina Benavides-Reyes, Nazaret Dominguez-Gasca, Estefania Sanchez-Rodriguez, Ian C. Dunn, Alejandro B. Rodriguez-Navarro, Andreas Kindmark, Dirk-Jan de Koning
Summary: This study analyzed the genetic characteristics of bone strength, bone mineral density, bone composition, and body weight in 860 commercial crossbred laying hens. The results showed significant differences in bone strength between different housing systems, with floor pens producing stronger bones. Three genetic loci for body weight and bone length were found to be shared between the housing systems. In summary, this study demonstrates the significant impact of housing systems on bone strength, content, and composition, and suggests a polygenic regulation of bone strength in commercial crossbred hens.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Moh Sallam, Peter W. W. Wilson, Bjoern Andersson, Matthias Schmutz, Cristina Benavides, Nazaret Dominguez-Gasca, Alejandro B. Rodriguez-Navarro, Estefania B. Sanchez-Rodriguez, Ian C. C. Dunn, Dirk-Jan De Koning, Martin Johnsson
Summary: This study identified novel genetic markers associated with bone composition traits, particularly organic matter. Medullary organic matter% and mineral% showed high genetic correlations with tibia density. The results highlighted that cortical lipid may be a key measurement for further avian bone studies.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Sofia Nyman, Anna M. Johansson, Valentina Palucci, Anna A. Schonherz, Bernt Guldbrandtsen, Dirk Hinrichs, Dirk-Jan de Koning
Summary: This study provides the first detailed analysis of the genetic diversity and inbreeding levels of European red dairy cattle breeds. Red Dairy Cattle, Vorderwalder, Swedish Polled, and Hinterwalder have more genetic diversity, while the Meuse-Rhine-Yssel breed, with decreased population size, increased inbreeding, and low effective population size, should implement a breeding program to prevent further loss in genetic diversity.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Juan Cordero-Solorzano, Dirk-Jan de Koning, Madeleine Traven, Therese de Haan, Mathilde Jouffroy, Andrea Larsson, Aline Myrthe, Joop A. J. Arts, Henk K. Parmentier, Henk Bovenhuis, Jonas Johansson Wensman
Summary: The genetic background of antibody levels in colostrum and calf serum, as well as their correlation with milk production, were investigated in this study. The results suggest that antibody levels in colostrum and calf serum can be increased through selection.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Ian C. Dunn, Heather McCormack, Dirk-Jan de Koning, Alejandro Rodriguez Navarro, Matthias Schmutz, Bjoern Andersson, David Cavero, Robert Fleming, Peter Wilson, Maisarah Maidin
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Ian C. Dunn, Dirk-Jan De Koning, Heather A. McCormack, Robert H. Fleming, Peter W. Wilson, Bjorn Andersson, Matthias Schmutz, Cristina Benavides, Nazaret Dominguez-Gasca, Estefania Sanchez-Rodriguez, Alejandro B. Rodriguez-Navarro
Summary: The study found that there is no genetic or phenotypic relationship between egg production and bone quality. Important factors associated with bone quality include onset of puberty, mineralization of the medullary bone, and genetic correlation between pre-peak egg production/age at first egg and bone quality in the White Leghorn breed.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2021)