Evaluating Animal Breeding Programmes

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30.00 Educational Hours
Intermediate
Language :
English
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About this Course

Animal breeding, and especially breeding of farm animals and aquaculture species, has developed into a professional industry with modern technologies, large-scale data collection, and analyses. This has resulted in very efficient and effective breeding programs. However, in many developing countries, and for many lesser known livestock and fish species there is a need for tailor-made breeding programs. In this MOOC, you will learn about the implementation and evaluation of both large industrial scale and the tailor-made breeding programs, in terms of genetic progress and genetic diversity.

Together with other learners, you will dive into the reasons behind crossbreeding in relation to dissemination of genetic improvement. It is essential to know how key biological factors affect the structure of a breeding program and to understand the different structures a breeding program can have.

Join this course and learn everything about how to properly evaluate breeding programs. In several knowledge clips and assignments, you will learn how to assess the effects of legislation, competition, GxE, new technology on breeding programs.

Eliminating diseases
Two special sections are devoted to genetic diversity and, more specifically, to (i) monogenic recessive disorders, and (ii) genetic diversity at the population level. Monogenic recessive disorders play an important role in breeding programs for companion animals such as dogs and horses. Modern DNA sequencing technology now makes it possible not only to detect these mutations but also to design breeding strategies aimed at eliminating these diseases. Genetic diversity at population level is important to maintain flexibility in populations and to keep animal populations healthy. In this course, you will learn more about how to monitor and conserve genetic diversity in breeding programmes.

After finishing this course you can make informed decisions when setting up a breeding program for a specific animal in a specific production system and recognize and identify key elements of the course in real-life examples of breeding programs.

Prerequisites
Please know that knowledge of statistics at a 2nd or 3rd year university level is needed to follow this course successfully. This course partially builds on knowledge gained in the MOOC Genetic Models for Animal Breeding.

For Whom
Although this course is open to everyone, it is particular useful for breeders of:

  • Cows
  • Poultry/Chicken
  • Horses
  • Pigs/Swine
  • Dogs
  • Sheep
  • Goat
  • Fish
  • Shrimp

Professional Certificate Program

This course is part of the Professional Certificate Programme "Animal Breeding and Genetics". Join the other course in the programme, Genetic Models for Animal Breeding, and advance your career as a breeder.

The course is developed with financial support and input from the Koepon Foundation.

Instructors

Hans Komen
Hans Komen

Hans is Professor of Animal Breeding and Genetics and personal chair holder at the Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre of Wageningen University and Research.

Han Mulder
Han Mulder

Han is Assistant Professor of Animal Breeding and Genetics at the Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre of Wageningen University and Research.

Piter Bijma
Piter Bijma

I work for Wageningen University (WU) since 1996, in the area of animal breeding and genetics. From 1996 to 2000, I did my PhD-research at WU on the topic "Prediction of rates of inbreeding in selected populations", which was done in close collaboration with Prof. John Woolliams of the Roslin Institute. Since 2001, I am assistant professor at the Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre.

In the past 10 years, my research has mainly focussed on the quantitative genetics of social interactions among individuals, in close collaboration with dr. Esther Ellen. Using so-called Indirect Genetic Effects (IGE) models, I have shown that IGE can contribute substantially to heritable variation and response to selection, but breeders may need to modify their breeding schemes in order to utilize this heritable variation. Recently I have been working on extending those models to infectious diseases, in collaboration with Prof. Mart de Jong. Since 2001, I have supervised 12 PhD-students on a variety of topics, and currently I am supervising 6 PhD-students. I am a teacher in the BSc-course Animal Breeding and Genetics, and in the MSc-courses Population and Quantitative Genetics and Life History Evolution.

More recently my research focus has shifted to the integration of quantitative epidemiology and quantitative genetics, in collaboration with Prof. Mart de Jong of QVE-WUR. Together we work on quantitative genetic modelling of the transmission of infectious diseases, on the estimation of the genetic effects on transmission and on the design of breeding programs that aim to reduce the prevalence of infectious diseases in livestock populations.

John Bastiaansen
John Bastiaansen

John is research associate at the Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre of Wageningen University and Research.

Mario Calus
Mario Calus

Mario is senior researcher at Wageningen Livestock Research in the Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre of Wageningen University and Research.