Development of genomic selection in dairy cattle in two emerging countries: South Africa and India

In large developed countries, genomic selection has radically transformed dairy cattle breeding, with collateralimpact on the international semen market. Emerging countries are often strong semen importers. Few of them are Interbull members. However, if they are a member, MACE evaluations of progeny tested bulls give them access to EBV on their own scale. At least in theory, this allows for a rational choice of semen to import. This is no longer the case with genomic evaluations, for which the constitution of a proper reference population is complex. As a consequence, the gap between countries with expertise in genomic selection and the others is widening fast. However, genomic selection also offers new opportunities in emerging countries, because it does not require sophisticated national performance recording systems and it more easily leads to selection adapted to local environments. The prototype for national genomic evaluation in Holstein cattle, exploiting the participation of the country to Interbull MACE evaluations, in order to enlarge the reference population while accommodating two very contrasted feeding systems. In India, BAIF, the largest Indian NGO in agriculture, is developing a female reference population of crossbred Bos taurus × Bos Indicus animals, facing a number of challenges such as very small average herd sizes, progress of dairy cattle in harsh environments.