POTENTIAL OF GENOMIC SELECTION IN SAHIWAL CATTLE

A selection program to enhance the genetic potential for milk production of Sahiwal cattle using progeny testing program is going on however, it faces severe implementation issues. Simulated studies have shown the potential of genomic selection in shortening generation interval and increasing the accuracy of selection (especially young bulls) that can bring a relatively rapid genetic improvement. The current study intended to explore the application of genomic selection in a typical developing country situation using Sahiwal cattle in Pakistan as an example. The assumed size of the training population for genomic selection was 10550 cows with lactation records of 28146 present in Research Centre for Conservation of Sahiwal Cattle (RCCSC), Jhang. The results indicated that genomic selection can reduce the generation intervals in the male to male selection pathway from 10.5 years down to 2.75 years. Response to selection increased by 2.15 times compared to that in a progeny testing program. Furthermore, it reduced the costs of proving bulls by approximately 88%. The results from the present study suggest the initiation of genomic selection program for Sahiwal cattle in Pakistan and support the idea of establishing a reference population for Sahiwal cattle as a first step. It may also encourage the researchers and policy makers to use the genomic selection for improving productivity of dairy cattle of other developing countries.