Some large rectangular matrices used in animal breeding are presented. We describe how to generate these matrices from the data supplied by animal breeders. The matrices are very sparse (3 nonzeros per row) and range between 26 20 and 968 652 582 694.

In plant and animal breeding studies a distinction is made between the genetic value (additive plus epistatic genetic effects) and the breeding value (additive genetic effects) of an individual since it is expected that some of the epistatic genetic effects will be lost due to recombination. In this article, we argue that the breeder can take advantage of the epistatic marker effects in regions...

Genetics is responsible for approximately half the observed changes in animal performance in well structured breeding programs. Key characteristics of the dairy cow of the future include (1) production of a large quantity of high-value output (i.e. milk andmeat), (2) good reproductive performance, (3) good health status, (4) good longevity, (5) no requirement for a large quantity of feed, yet b...

OBJECTIVES A population based case-control study was conducted in a highly agricultural area in the north east of Italy to evaluate the association between farming and animal breeding and the risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). METHODS Occupational histories and other data were collected by personal interview on 164 NHLs, 23 CLLs, diagnosed...

Animal models are generalized linear mixed models used in evolutionary biology and animal breeding to identify the genetic part of traits. Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) is a methodology for making fast, nonsampling-based Bayesian inference for hierarchical Gaussian Markov models. In this article, we demonstrate that the INLA methodology can be used for many versions of Bayesian...

The increasing size of the human population is projected to result in an increase in meat consumption. However, at the same time, the dominant position of meat as the center of meals is on the decline. Modern objections to the consumption of meat include public concerns with animal welfare in livestock production systems. Animal breeding practices have become part of the debate since it became ...

J APER*, B DE CAUWER†, S DE ROO†, M LOURENC O‡, V FIEVEZ‡, R BULCKE† & D REHEUL§ *Plant Sciences Unit, Applied Genetics and Breeding, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Melle, Belgium, †Weed Science Unit, Department of Plant Production, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium, ‡Laboratory for Animal Nutrition and Animal Product Quality, Department of Animal Production, Ghent University,...

Genomic selection (GS) is the use of statistical methods to estimate the genetic merit of a genotyped animal based on prediction equations derived from large ancestral populations with both phenotypes and genotypes. It has revolutionized the dairy cattle breeding industry and has been implemented with varying degrees of success in other animal breeding programs, including swine, poultry, and be...

Ö. Elmaz, Ü. Cirit and H. Demir 1 Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Breeding, 15100, Burdur, Turkey 2 Istanbul University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, 34320, Avcilar, Istanbul, Turkey 3 Istanbul University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Breeding, 34320, Avcilar, Is...

Ludmila Křížová1*, Jiří Třináctý1, Michal Richter1, Sylvie Hadrová1 and Jan Pozdíšek2 1 Research Institute for Cattle Breeding, Ltd., Rapotín, Department of Animal Nutrition Physiology, Pohořelice, Vídeňská 699, Pohořelice, 691 23, Czech Republic 2 Research Institute for Cattle Breeding, Ltd., Rapotín, Department of Feed Production and Animal Nutrition, Rapotín, Výzkumníků 267, Vikýřovice 788 1...