PIC adds Relationship Based Genomic Selection to products

22-07-2014 | Pigs | Sows & Boars | News

US company PIC has announced that it will implement Relationship Based Genomic Selection in all crossbred boar products, effective August, 2014.

PIC will continue its differentiated implementation of genomic technology and be the first entity to use Relationship Based Genomic Selection in all pure and crossbred products and in every trait impacting selection decisions.

“This implementation step builds on our previous implementation in all pure lines and will increase the accuracy of our selection process. It will subsequently increase our rate of progress by an additional 35% versus other industry programs,” said Dr. Matt Culbertson, director of Product Development for PIC.

PIC’s Relationship Based Genomic Selection, also known as Single Step Genomic Selection, uses a proprietary genotyping and statistical platform to calculate how related animals are at the genetic level. It will increase the accuracy of evaluating animals as parents of the next generation. PIC began implementing Relationship Based Genomic Selection in its pure lines in the winter of 2012-2013 and completed full implementation for all nucleus populations and traits in the fall of 2013.