Genomic Selection: Principles and Applications in Modern Animal Breeding

Genomic selection (GS) has revolutionized animal breeding by enabling the prediction of genetic merit using dense genome-wide molecular markers. Unlike traditional selection methods that rely heavily on phenotypic records and pedigree information, GS utilizes thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed across the genome to estimate genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs), thereby improving selection accuracy and accelerating genetic gain (Meuwissen et al., 2001). Since its introduction, genomic selection has been rapidly adopted in dairy cattle and is increasingly applied in beef cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, and aquaculture species (Hayes et al., 2009).