Evolution of inbreeding: a gaze into five Italian beef cattle breeds history.

ABSTRACT: In the last decades, intensive selection programs have led to sustained increases of inbreeding in dairy cattle, a feature that might have adverse consequences on the viability and phenotypic performance of their offspring. This study aimed to determine the evolution of inbreeding of five Italian beef cattle breeds (Marchigiana, Chianina, Romagnola, Maremmana, and Podolica) during a period of almost 20 years (2002-2019). The estimates of Ho, He, F_hat2 , and F_ped averaged across years (2002-2019) in the studied breeds fluctuated between 0.340-0.401, 0.348-0.392, -0.121-0.072, and 0.000-0.068, respectively. Moreover, annual rates of increase of the estimated inbreeding coefficients have been very low (F_hat2 = 0.01-0.02%; F_ped

SUBMITTER: Rovelli G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8483007 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature