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Larissa Zetouni: How to breed for environmentally friendly livestock: approaches to reduce methane emissions from dairy cows

PhD defence, Friday 16 March 2018, Larissa Zetouni

Larissa Zetouni

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During her studies, Larissa Zetouni focused on opportunities to perform genetic selection on dairy cows that produce, and therefore emit, less methane. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), and livestock is directly responsible for 18% of global GHG emissions, therefore mitigation strategies directed to lowering the emission potential from cattle is of extreme importance when aiming for more sustainable livestock systems. The findings in this project contribute to better understanding of the complexity behind methane production as a selection trait, which constitutes the first step before considering implementing methane production in selection indices and breeding goals across the globe.

The PhD degree was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics – Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG), Science and Technology, Foulum, Aarhus University.

This résumé was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, March 16 2018, at 13:00
Place: Auditorium (room 250) Foulum, Aarhus University
Title of dissertation: Opportunities to select for low methane emitting dairy cattle
Contact information: Larissa Zetouni, e-mail: lzetouni@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 7149-8976

Members of the assessment committee:
Henk Bovenhuis, Department of Animal Science – Animal Breeding and Genetics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Bjørg Heringstad, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
Knud Erik Larsen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics – Molecular Genetics and Systems Biology, Foulum, Aarhus University, Denmark

Main supervisor:
Elise Norberg, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics – Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Foulum, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor:
Jan Lassen, Viking Genetics, Denmark

Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defense is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1520, rooms 128-134, 8000 Aarhus C.