Genetic variation in Nordic dairy cattle breeds

Last changed: 12 March 2018
Curious cow

The aim of this project is to assess the genetic variation within and between Nordic dairy cattle breeds. The obtained results will be used to study the genetic relationship between Nordic cattle breeds as well as other European cattle breeds.

This project is part of an EGS-ABG PhD program that is conducted in collaboration with Wageningen University, the Netherlands. Genomic DNA prepared from representative individuals from several Nordic cattle breeds will be genotyped by high-density SNP arrays and the obtained genotype data will be analysed bioinformatically and statistically. The hypothesis is that some beneficial gene variants that may have been lost in commercial dairy cattle may still be segregating in local Nordic dairy cattle. An ultimate goal of this project is to identify such genetic variants in these local breeds that could serve as markers to be used in marker-assisted selection in commercial dairy cattle breeds.

Facts:

The project is funded by: European Graduate School of Animal Breeding and Genetics (EGS-ABG)

Duration of the project: 2016-2018

Project Leader: Göran Andersson

Other contributors: Maulik Upadhyay (Phd student), Susanne Eriksson, Anna Maria Johansson, Sofia Mikko, Erling Strandberg


Contact

Göran Andersson, professor
Institutionen för husdjursgenetik, SLU
goran.andersson@slu.se, 018-67 20 56, 0703-80 89 19