The genetic basis and improvement of feed efficiency in lactating Holstein dairy cattle

Hardie, L.C.

doi:10.31274/etd-180810-5553

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…An obvious way to minimize feed expense would be to decrease dry matter intake (DMI), without a reduction in milk production. Genetic correlations between DMI and milk production range from 0.44 to 0.94, indicating selection for decreased DMI is expected to decrease milk production if these correlations are not accounted for in breeding value estimation [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Heritability estimates for DMI range from 0.17 to 0.60 and vary depending on the stage of lactation, study location, and parity, indicating genetics have a significant contribution in the variability of DMI [ 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Section: Defining Feed Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Residual feed intake (RFI) is defined as the difference between an animal’s actual feed intake and expected feed intake, accounting for the animal’s energy sinks [ 25 , 26 ]. In RFI, energy sinks include milk production (e.g., energy corrected milk and fat-corrected milk), body weight (BW) and BW fluctuations [ 11 , 13 , 15 , 27 ]. An advantage of RFI is that it is defined mathematically to be phenotypically uncorrelated to milk production traits.…”

Section: Defining Feed Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More efficient dairy cattle were found to have numerically lower surface temperatures of the lower rear leg than less efficient cows. In addition, regression analysis of leg and paralumbar fossa surface temperature tended to explain variation in RFI ( p < 0.10 [ 15 ]). Similarly, lower skin temperatures of beef cattle have been associated with lower RFI values (i.e., more efficient [ 75 ]).…”

Section: Traits and Environmental Variables Associated With Feed Intake And Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Opportunities to Harness High-Throughput and Novel Sensing Phenotypes to Improve Feed Efficiency in Dairy Cattle

Siberski

Koltes

2021

Animals

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Feed for dairy cattle has a major impact on profitability and the environmental impact of farms. Sustainable dairy production relies on continued improvement in feed efficiency as a way to reduce costs and nutrient loss from feed. Advances in breeding, feeding and management have led to the dilution of maintenance energy and thus more efficient dairy cattle. Still, many additional opportunities are available to improve individual animal feed efficiency. Sensing technologies such as wearable sensors, image-based and high-throughput phenotyping technologies (e.g., milk testing) are becoming more available on commercial farm. The application of these technologies as indicator traits for feed intake and efficiency related traits would be advantageous to provide additional information to predict and manage feed efficiency. This review focuses on precision livestock technologies and high-throughput phenotyping in use today as well as those that could be developed in the future as possible indicators of feed intake. Several technologies such as milk spectral data, activity, rumen measures, and image-based phenotypes have been associated with feed intake. Future applications will depend on the ability to repeatably measure and calibrate these data across locations, so that they can be integrated for use in predicting and managing feed intake and efficiency on farm.

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Section: Defining Feed Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining Feed Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Traits and Environmental Variables Associated With Feed Intake And Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Opportunities to Harness High-Throughput and Novel Sensing Phenotypes to Improve Feed Efficiency in Dairy Cattle

Siberski

Koltes

2021

Animals

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“…The combined effect of limited DMI observations plus indirect indicators of feed efficiency such as RFI may limit the effectiveness of selecting for improved feed utilization. Supplementing selection for RFI with mechanistic observations of energy use, such as heat loss (Hardie, 2016), could make selection for feed utilization more effective. Diet digestibility was reported to explain between 9 and 31% of variation in RFI for Holsteins fed a low-starch diet (Potts et al, 2017), and development of a low-cost method of determining digestive efficiency would facilitate selection on a mechanistic basis.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Short communication: Diet digestibility measured from fecal samples and associations with phenotypic and genetic merit for milk yield and composition

Lacey

Harvatine

Dechow

2020

Journal of Dairy Science

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Selection for improved feed utilization is of high interest globally but is limited by the high cost of obtaining feed intake for individual cows and relies on indirect measures of feed efficiency. Supplementing selection with mechanistic measures of feed use could make selection for feed utilization more direct and effective. The objectives of this study were to evaluate fecal sampling as a method of determining digestive efficiency of individual cows and to evaluate associations of digestive efficiency with genetic and phenotypic merit for milk yield and composition. Fecal samples were obtained manually from the rectum of 90 Holstein cows in the morning, afternoon, and evening on a single date and composited across the day. The fecal samples were dried, ground, and stored. Diet and fecal neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were determined using the filter bag method, and indigestible NDF was determined in situ with a 12-d rumen incubation. Fecal NDF (60.1%) and indigestible NDF (41.9%) were higher than that from feed samples (14.2 and 35.9%, respectively). Total-tract digestibility was calculated using the marker ratio method. Total-tract dry matter (DM) digestibility averaged 66.0 ± 2.4% and total-tract NDF digestibility averaged 42.8 ± 3.0%. Higher milk fat percent and genetic merit for milk fat percent were associated with greater NDF and DM digestibility. Milk yield was negatively associated with NDF and DM digestibility. Fecal sampling is a feasible method to directly measure digestive efficiency, and substantial variation was observed among cows. Given significant between-cow variation and associations with milk fat percent and genetic merit for milk fat percent, potential selection for total-tract NDF digestibility estimated via fecal sampling warrants further exploration.

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The genetic basis and improvement of feed efficiency in lactating Holstein dairy cattle

Cited by 2 publications

References 93 publications

Opportunities to Harness High-Throughput and Novel Sensing Phenotypes to Improve Feed Efficiency in Dairy Cattle

Opportunities to Harness High-Throughput and Novel Sensing Phenotypes to Improve Feed Efficiency in Dairy Cattle

Short communication: Diet digestibility measured from fecal samples and associations with phenotypic and genetic merit for milk yield and composition

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