Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) causes major losses in feedlot cattle worldwide. A genetic component for BRD resistance in feedlot cattle and calves has been reported in a number of studies, with heritabilities ranging from 0.04 to 0.2. These results suggest selection could be used to reduce the incidence of BRD. Genomic selection could be an attractive approach for breeding for BRD resistance, given the phenotype is not likely to be recorded on breeding animals. In this study, we derived GEBVs for BRD resistance and assessed their accuracy in a reasonably large data set recorded for feedlot treatment of BRD (1213 Angus steers, in two feedlots). In fivefold cross validation, genomic predictions were moderately accurate (0.23 ± 0.01) when a BayesR approach was used. Expansion of this approach to include more animals and a diversity of breeds is recommended to successfully develop a GEBV for BRD resistance in feedlots for the beef industry.
Keywords: bovine respiratory disease; genomic selection; heritability.
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the major cause of losses in feedlot cattle worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated that there is a genetic component to resistance to BRD, suggesting that this trait could be improved by selection. Genomic selection, whereby genome wide DNA markers capture most of the genetic variation from the trait, would enable identification of resistant animals early in life through DNA testing, accelerating genetic gains. In this study, we have demonstrated a panel of 50k DNA markers can be used to predict BRD resistance with reasonable accuracy in Angus cattle, enabling early selection for BRD resistance in this breed.
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