During his PhD studies, Lei Zhou researched genomic prediction across different dairy cattle populations and breeds, including Chinese Holstein, Nordic Holstein, Nordic Red (including Danish Red, Finnish Ayrshire, and Swedish Red), and Norwegian Red. The results showed that including Nordic Holsteins in a Chinese Holstein reference population greatly increased accuracies of genomic prediction for Chinese Holsteins. Combining two related breeds – Nordic Red and Norwegian Red – also resulted in higher accuracies for both breeds. However, when two distantly related breeds – Nordic Holstein and Nordic Red – were combined in genomic prediction, accuracies did not significantly increase.

Lei Zhou’s PhD research indicates that accuracies of genomic prediction are mainly due to relationships between reference and validation populations, and less to the contribution from linkage disequilibrium (LD) between markers and QTLs. Genomic prediction across two distantly related breeds using genomic-best linear unbiased prediction (G-BLUP) is not successful so far.

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

Time: Wednesday 29 January 2014 at 9.00
Place: Lecture Theatre, Research Centre Foulum, Aarhus University
Title of dissertation: Genomic prediction across dairy cattle populations and breeds
Contact information: Lei Zhou, lei.zhou@agrsci.dk, +45 5012 2956
Members of the assessment committee:
Dr Donagh Berry, Moorepark Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc), Ireland
Dr Noelia Ibanez-Escriche, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Spain
Professor Just Jensen (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Main supervisor:
Dr Guosheng Su, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Co-supervisors:
Professor Mogens Sandø Lund, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Dr Yachun Wang, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, China
Language: The dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, room 112, 8000 Aarhus C.