Exploring the polygenic landscape of wool traits in Turkish merinos through multi-locus GWAS approaches: Karacabey Merino.

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the genetic basis of wool traits in Karacabey Merino sheep, a dual-purpose breed developed in Northwest Türkiye. Heritability estimates were moderate for fibre diameter (FD; h² = 0.360) and greasy fleece weight (GFW; h² = 0.443), but low for staple length (SL; h² = 0.119), suggesting that while some traits may respond well to selection, others may require larger datasets or complementary approaches to capture their underlying genetic variation. Genetic and phenotypic correlations with growth traits revealed complex interactions, indicating that selection for wool traits may have trade-offs with growth performance, a key consideration in the breeding of dual-purpose sheep. To identify genomic regions associated with these traits, we employed multiple multi-locus GWAS

SUBMITTER: Yaman Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12532847 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature