Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T19:11:01.768Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Optimum selection intensity in breeding programmes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. W. James
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Genetics, West Mains Road, Edinburgh
Get access

Summary

The present value of future genetic improvement in a closed population is taken to be proportional to the sum of discounted changes in the population mean. It is shown that, if T animals are available for selection and R is the discount rate per generation, the selection intensity which maximizes present value is a function of TR. If TR is greater than 15, under 10% of the population should be selected. It is then shown how T can be chosen to maximize profit if the value of genetic improvement and cost of testing are known. The theory is illustrated by a numerical example.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1972

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Dempster, E. R. 1955. Genetic models in relation to animal breeding problems. Biometrics 11: 535536.Google Scholar
Hill, W. G. 1971. Investment appraisal for national breeding programmes. Anim. Prod. 13: 3750.Google Scholar
Hill, W. G. and Robertson, Alan. 1966. The effect of linkage on the limits to artificial selection. Genet. Res. 8: 269294.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prest, A. R. and Turvey, R. 1965. Cost-benefit analysis: a survey. The Econ. J. 75: 683735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, Alan. 1960. A theory of limits in artificial selection. Proc. R. Soc, B. 153: 234249.Google Scholar
Robertson, Alan. 1970. Some optimum problems in individual selection. Theor. Popul. Biol. l: 120127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, C. 1969. Optimum selection procedures in animal breeding. Anim. Prod. 11: 433442.Google Scholar
Soller, M., Bar-Anan, R. and Pasternak, H. 1966. Selection of dairy cattle for growth rate and milk production. Anim. Prod. 8: 109119.Google Scholar