The Effect of Continuous Selection in KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> Composite Breed on Breed Ancestry and Productivity Performance
Composite crosses result from the mating of two or more distinct cattle breeds. Breeding performance may improve rapidly using a well-organized composite breeding system and a clear selection index. The KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> is a popular composite cross in New Zealand, combining Holstein...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/175 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832589327337521152 |
|---|---|
| author | Mohd Jaafar Bevin Harris Heather J. Huson |
| author_facet | Mohd Jaafar Bevin Harris Heather J. Huson |
| author_sort | Mohd Jaafar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Composite crosses result from the mating of two or more distinct cattle breeds. Breeding performance may improve rapidly using a well-organized composite breeding system and a clear selection index. The KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> is a popular composite cross in New Zealand, combining Holstein-Friesian (high milk production) and Jersey (high milk fat). Production efficiency (PR), a key selection index, is calculated by dividing milk solids produced by mature live weight. Over decades of genetic improvement, KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> increased milk production significantly. We hypothesized that certain genomic regions from Holstein-Friesian or Jersey breeds were preserved due to artificial selection based on PR. Analysis of genomic regions using XP-EHH, hapFLK, and ROH haplotype statistics revealed selection signatures on BTA 7 and 20 in both high- and low-performance animals, with distinct regions linked to Holstein-Friesian and Jersey ancestry. Our findings suggest that selection acted on different genomic regions across generations and that preserving key ancestry-specific haplotypes is crucial for maintaining performance in composite breeds. Breeders must recognize that selection for specific traits can alter allele frequencies and lead to the loss of beneficial breed-specific haplotypes over time. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-573279800c13495eba683a7521625e9b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-573279800c13495eba683a7521625e9b2025-01-24T13:17:54ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-01-0115217510.3390/ani15020175The Effect of Continuous Selection in KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> Composite Breed on Breed Ancestry and Productivity PerformanceMohd Jaafar0Bevin Harris1Heather J. Huson2Animal Science Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USALivestock Improvement, Private Bag 3016, Hamilton 3240, New ZealandAnimal Science Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USAComposite crosses result from the mating of two or more distinct cattle breeds. Breeding performance may improve rapidly using a well-organized composite breeding system and a clear selection index. The KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> is a popular composite cross in New Zealand, combining Holstein-Friesian (high milk production) and Jersey (high milk fat). Production efficiency (PR), a key selection index, is calculated by dividing milk solids produced by mature live weight. Over decades of genetic improvement, KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> increased milk production significantly. We hypothesized that certain genomic regions from Holstein-Friesian or Jersey breeds were preserved due to artificial selection based on PR. Analysis of genomic regions using XP-EHH, hapFLK, and ROH haplotype statistics revealed selection signatures on BTA 7 and 20 in both high- and low-performance animals, with distinct regions linked to Holstein-Friesian and Jersey ancestry. Our findings suggest that selection acted on different genomic regions across generations and that preserving key ancestry-specific haplotypes is crucial for maintaining performance in composite breeds. Breeders must recognize that selection for specific traits can alter allele frequencies and lead to the loss of beneficial breed-specific haplotypes over time.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/175crossbredadmixtureproduction efficiencyartificial selectionbreed ancestryKiwiCross<sup>®</sup> |
| spellingShingle | Mohd Jaafar Bevin Harris Heather J. Huson The Effect of Continuous Selection in KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> Composite Breed on Breed Ancestry and Productivity Performance Animals crossbred admixture production efficiency artificial selection breed ancestry KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> |
| title | The Effect of Continuous Selection in KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> Composite Breed on Breed Ancestry and Productivity Performance |
| title_full | The Effect of Continuous Selection in KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> Composite Breed on Breed Ancestry and Productivity Performance |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Continuous Selection in KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> Composite Breed on Breed Ancestry and Productivity Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Continuous Selection in KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> Composite Breed on Breed Ancestry and Productivity Performance |
| title_short | The Effect of Continuous Selection in KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> Composite Breed on Breed Ancestry and Productivity Performance |
| title_sort | effect of continuous selection in kiwicross sup r sup composite breed on breed ancestry and productivity performance |
| topic | crossbred admixture production efficiency artificial selection breed ancestry KiwiCross<sup>®</sup> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/175 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mohdjaafar theeffectofcontinuousselectioninkiwicrosssupsupcompositebreedonbreedancestryandproductivityperformance AT bevinharris theeffectofcontinuousselectioninkiwicrosssupsupcompositebreedonbreedancestryandproductivityperformance AT heatherjhuson theeffectofcontinuousselectioninkiwicrosssupsupcompositebreedonbreedancestryandproductivityperformance AT mohdjaafar effectofcontinuousselectioninkiwicrosssupsupcompositebreedonbreedancestryandproductivityperformance AT bevinharris effectofcontinuousselectioninkiwicrosssupsupcompositebreedonbreedancestryandproductivityperformance AT heatherjhuson effectofcontinuousselectioninkiwicrosssupsupcompositebreedonbreedancestryandproductivityperformance |