Australian Sheep Breeding Values for Worm Egg Count Retain Predictive Power Across Flocks in the Presence of GxE

Title
Australian Sheep Breeding Values for Worm Egg Count Retain Predictive Power Across Flocks in the Presence of GxE
Publication Date
2015
Author(s)
Li, Li
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3601-9729
Email: lli4@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:lli4
Swan, Andrew
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8048-3169
Email: aswan@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:aswan
Brown, Daniel
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4786-7563
Email: dbrown2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:dbrown2
Van Der Werf, Julius H
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2512-1696
Email: jvanderw@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:jvanderw
Editor
Editor(s): Kim Bunter, Tim Byrne, Hans Daetwyler, Susanne Hermesch, Kathryn Kemper, James Kijas, David Nation, Wayne Pitchford, Suzanne Rowe, Matt Shaffer, Alison van Eenennaam
Type of document
Conference Publication
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics (AAABG)
Place of publication
Armidale, Australia
UNE publication id
une:19216
Abstract
Genotype by environment interactions (GxE) for worm egg count (WEC) in Merino sheep were estimated in eight environments across Australia from the Sheep CRC Information Nucleus flock (IN). Genetic correlations between environments were estimated using a factor analytic model, with mean correlations for each environment ranging from 0.27 to 0.57 for an overall mean of 0.40, confirming the presence of large GxE effects for WEC. The industry genetic evaluation model for WEC fits a direct genetic effect averaged across environments, which is reported back to breeders as the Australian Sheep Breeding Value (ASBV), with a sire by environment interaction term to accommodate deviations in performance (not reported to breeders). This model was validated using the IN data, with results demonstrating that the average genetic effect does retain predictive power across environments, albeit with lower accuracy due to a lower heritability observed in the sire interaction model when GxE effects are large.
Link
Citation
Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics, v.21, p. 386-389
ISSN
1328-3227
ISBN
9780646945545
Start page
386
End page
389

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