New genetic predictors for improving cow reproduction

Summary

​Reproductive performance is a key driver of productivity and profitability for Australia's northern beef industry. This project aimed to build on the research undertaken as part of the Cooperative Research Centre for Beef genetic Technologies (Beef CRC) to improve our understanding of the consequences for female growth and body composition of selection to improve reproductive performance and to identify new opportunities, including genomic technologies, to apply indirect selection to female and correlated male reproduction traits. Results showed that superior (earlier) age at puberty, lactation anoestrous interval and lifetime reproductive performance were genetically associated with lower cow body condition and higher likelihood of cows falling to an "at risk" body condition. A key recommendation of this project is that a measure of body condition in lactating cows be included in the BREEDPLAN evaluation for tropical breeds to allow breeders to monitor and manage this trait while selecting to improve reproductive performance. The project also identified new opportunities to exploit genomics in the evaluation for female reproductive performance and correlated male fertility traits, as well as in the evaluation of cow weight and body condition. Opportunities for ongoing research have been identified which if pursued will build on the new understandings developed in this project.