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Wossenie Shibabaw Mebratie: The genetics of body weight and feed efficiency in broiler chickens

PhD defence, Monday 25 March 2019. Wossenie Shibabaw Mebratie.

Wossenie Mebratie

Growth rate and feed efficiency are economically the most important traits in the broiler industry. Thus understanding the genetic background of these traits is essential in order to improve broiler production using selective breeding. During her PhD studies, Wossenie has studied the genetic basis of growth rate and feed efficiency in broiler chickens. Her studies include interaction between sex and genotype as well as interaction between age and genotype for body weight and feed efficiency traits in broiler chickens. Wossenie has also studied the effect of selection on genetic variation of body weight over time and different selection criteria for feed efficiency in broiler chickens. Furthermore, Wossenie has identified new genes associated with body weight at different ages and feed efficiency traits in broiler chickens using genome wide association study.

The new research findings contribute to the understanding of the genetic background of the most economically important traits in the broiler industry. In addition, the results of Wossenie’s studies as well as the statistical models and methods employed in her studies can be used to other poultry species with little modification since chicken is the prime model for all avian species.

The PhD program has been completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark and Animal Breeding and Genetics group, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands.

This résumé was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Monday 25 March 2019 at 13.30
Place: Building 8814, room M2, Department of Molecular biology and genetics, Aarhus University, AU Foulum, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele
Title of PhD thesis: The genetics of body weight and feed efficiency in broiler chickens
Contact information: Wossenie Shibabaw Mebratie, e-mail: wossenie.mebratie@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 (0) 91483534
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Samuel Aggrey, University of Georgia, USA
Professor MCM de Jong, Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands
Dr Marco Bink, Hendrix Genetics, the Netherlands
Dr Bernt Guldbrandtsen, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisors: 
Professor Just Jensen, Department of molecular biology and genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Professor Henk Bovenhuis, Animal breeding and genomics group, Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1520 and 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.