The Development of Genomics Applied to Cattle Breeding

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Farm Animal Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 407

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: bovine genetics and breeding; sustainable livestock husbandry; forage innovation and valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The integration of genomics into livestock breeding has revolutionized cattle genetics, enabling unprecedented precision in trait selection and herd improvement. From early marker-assisted selection to cutting-edge genome-wide association studies and CRISPR-based editing, genomic tools have reshaped our understanding of complex traits like disease resistance, feed efficiency, and climate adaptability. This Special Issue aims to synthesize the historical evolution of genomic technologies in cattle breeding, explore their translational impacts on industry practices, and highlight emerging frontiers.

We seek contributions that bridge gaps between discovery and application, including innovative methods in genomic prediction, the functional validation of candidate genes, and multi-omics integration for phenotype enhancement. Topics may span population genomics, gene-edited livestock models, and bioinformatics pipelines for breeding optimization. We particularly encourage interdisciplinary studies combining genetics, bioinformatics, and agricultural economics to address global challenges such as food security and sustainable livestock production.

This issue welcomes original research, critical reviews, and technical perspectives that advance the ethical, scalable deployment of genomic solutions in cattle breeding. Together, we aim to catalyze a paradigm shift toward data-driven, precision-engineered livestock systems.

Dr. Chugang Mei
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cattle breeding
  • genomics
  • gene editing
  • genomic selection
  • functional genomics

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 2031 KB  
Article
Identification of Candidate Variants Associated with Milk Production, Health and Reproductive Traits for Holstein Cows in Southern China
by Tingxian Deng, Lei Cheng, Chenhui Liu, Min Xiang, Qing Liu, Bo Yu and Hongbo Chen
Agriculture 2025, 15(19), 2019; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15192019 - 26 Sep 2025
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been a successful tool for identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) for economically important traits in dairy cows. However, the availability of QTLs linked to phenotypic traits is limited in the literature. In this study, we used GWAS, haplotype [...] Read more.
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been a successful tool for identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) for economically important traits in dairy cows. However, the availability of QTLs linked to phenotypic traits is limited in the literature. In this study, we used GWAS, haplotype association, and fine-mapping analyses to identify candidate variants associated with milk production, health, and reproductive traits in 380 Chinese Holstein cattle from Southern China using whole-genome sequence data. GWAS identified 91 genome-wide significant signals that were annotated to 63 genes associated with milk production, health, and reproductive traits in dairy cattle. Haplotype association analysis further revealed that eight GWAS signals within three QTLs were associated with milk production and health traits of cows. Fine-mapping analysis revealed that 3 GWAS signals (6_92530313_G_A, 10_17185230_G_A, and 10_17209112_T_G) were the potential causal variants. Several candidate genes, including ANKS1B, IL17RD, CNOT6L, AOC1, and TLE3, have been confirmed to be associated with milk production, health, and reproductive traits in dairy cows. These findings significantly contribute to unraveling the genetic basis of economically important traits in Holstein cattle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Development of Genomics Applied to Cattle Breeding)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop