Animal Breeding Programs: A Systematic Approach to Their Design

摘要

This publication presents a systematic nine-step approach to designing comprehensive animal-breeding programs. These nine steps are (1) describing the production system(s), (2) formulating the objective to the system, (3) choosing breeding system and breeds, (4) estimating selection parameters and economic weights, (5) designing an animal evaluation system, (6) developing selection criteria, (7) designing matings for selected animals, (8) designing a system for expansion, and (9) comparing alternative combined programs. Formulating the objective may be in both simplified and comprehensive forms. This nine-step approach is also a basis for developing computer models for analyzing alternative breeding and selection systems. Principles and procedures including iterative and branched approaches, and the difficulties in designing and implementing coordinated breeding strategies in segmented industries are also reviewed.