article · animal
Litter traits serve as key production indicators for sow fertility and carry significant economic weight in the pig industry. An investigation into these traits, covering total number born, number born alive, litter birth weight, average birth weight, and piglet uniformity, analysed 3,637 Yorkshire and Landrace pigs. Genotyping was performed using a 50K bead chip, followed by association analyses using mixed linear and FarmCPU models. Across the examined traits, estimated heritability ranged from 0.0327 for piglet uniformity up to 0.2163 for average birth weight. Evaluating three prediction models showed that the single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction approach delivered higher accuracy and reduced bias compared to pedigree and standard genomic methods. Additionally, eight candidate genes connected to metabolism and ovulation rate were identified, offering insights into the genetic architecture governing pig reproduction.
Sow fertility directly affects productivity and profitability across commercial pig farming. Understanding the genetic basis of litter traits helps breeders select breeding stock more reliably. By comparing statistical methods and identifying specific functional genes, this research clarifies how complex reproductive traits are inherited, providing clearer routes to refine breeding strategies and improve overall litter quality.
This research is early-stage genetic discovery and statistical modelling aimed at the commercial pig-breeding industry. The identified candidate genes, genetic markers, and single-step predictive methods could be integrated by livestock breeding companies and genetics programmes into genomic selection tools. Such applications aim to enhance litter size, weight, and uniformity, though practical implementation requires incorporation into operational breeding programmes and field testing.
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Litter traits are critical economic variables in the pig industry as they represent a production indicator that can serve to determine sow fertility. In this study, a genome-wide association study on litter traits, including total number born (TNB), number born alive (NBA), litter birth weight (LBW), average birth weight (ABW), and piglet uniformity (PU), was carried out on two pig breeds (Yorkshire and Landrace). A total of 3 637 pigs of both breeds were genotyped using the GeneSeek GGP Porcine 50K SNP BeadChip. A mixed linear model (MLM) and fixed and random model circulating probability unification (FarmCPU) were employed in the genome-wide association studies for litter traits using combined data from the two pig breeds and data from each breed separately. Additionally, the heritability of traits was estimated using three methods-pedigree-based best linear unbiased prediction (PBLUP), genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP), and single-step best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP)-and was found to lie between 0.065 and 0.1289, 0.0478 and 0.0938, 0.0793 and 0.0935, 0.1862 and 0.2163, and 0.0327 and 0.0419 for TNB, NBA, LBW, ABW, and PU, respectively. We also compared the genomic prediction accuracies and unbiasedness for litter traits of the three BLUP models. Our results indicated that the ssGBLUP method provided higher predictive accuracies and more rational unbiasedness compared with the PBLUP and GBLUP methodologies. Furthermore, based on their possible roles, eight candidate genes (INHBA, LEPR, HDHD2, CTNND2, RNF216, HMX1, PAPPA2, and NTN1) were identified as being linked with litter traits. In the middle of the test, these genes were found to be connected with pig metabolism and ovulation rate. Our results provide the insights into the genetic architecture of litter traits in pigs, and the potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes identified may benefit economic profits in pig-breeding industry and contribute to improve litter traits.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100672
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