In April, in addition to the usual annual change of the genetic base, which in Italy happens every year, the data release was affected by several updates:
✔️ PFT revision
✔️IES revision
✔️Addition of inbreeding in the Italian indices
PFT update
In April, the PFT is updated: the weights are revised, and a bonus or penalty based on consanguinity is also added.
As for the new composition of the index:
Production: 47 -> 50 | Type: 17 -> 17 | Management traits: 36 -> 33
What changes in detail:
- The weight of protein production is increased.
- More weight for feed efficiency index and heat stress.
IES Update
- What is the IES?
The Economic Health Index is an index that rewards productive animals that, however, have a lower impact in terms of management, health, and environmental factors.
It has a real measurement, expressed in euros, indicating how much additional income, compared to the average, the daughters of a bull can generate over the course of their careers.
- What changes in detail:
- The weight of protein production (in kg) is increased.
- Resistance to mastitis, feed efficiency, heat stress, and the weight of the BCS are added or increased.
- A reward is given for the Polled trait
- The new ranking rewards bulls with good production in terms of milk and protein yield, as well as bulls that are functional according to the new concept of sustainability, meaning those that are more efficient and able to withstand high summer temperatures.
Addition of inbreeding in the Italian indices
- What is imbreeding?
If two related individuals mate, the offspring may inherit two identical alleles for a specific locus, both originating from the same ancestor. This is called inbreeding (being related to oneself).
Therefore, consanguinity refers to the probability that an individual’s gene is homozygous by descent.
- How will it be taken into consideration?
The PFT, IES, and ICS-PR indices will take into account imbreeding of individuals and will be proportionally rewarded or penalized based on this.
