Tips for making better use of PIGBLUP

Abstract

Breeders may not always make best use of the various features of PIGBLUP since they are unaware of specific settings available in the system. This is especially the case for newly developed features but may also apply to system settings that have been part of PIGBLUP since its early development. For example, fitting genetic groups for introduced animals may have only become important as their data set has grown and the use of AI boars from other herds has increased. It is the aim of this document to provide tips for making better use of PIGBLUP. A number of PIGBLUP features are outlined including the use of spline functions in the $Index, fitting genetic groups for introduced animals, obtaining across-breed EBVs and making better use of PBSAMA.