The Aosta Red Pied (Valdostana Pezzata Rossa (VRP)), the Aosta Black Pied (Valdostana Pezzata Nera (VBP)) and the Aosta Chestnut (Valdostana Castana (CAS)) are dual-purpose cattle breeds (meat and milk), very well adapted to the harsh environmental conditions of alpine territories: their farming is in fact characterized by summer pasture at very high altitude. A total of 728 individuals were genotyped with the GeenSeek Genomic Profiler® (GGP) Bovine 150K Illumina SNP chip as a part of the DUALBREEDING-PSRN Italian-funded research project. The genetic diversity among populations showed that the three breeds are distinct populations based on the F_ST values, ADMIXTURE and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) results. Runs of Homozygosity (ROH) were obtained for the three populations to disclose recent autozygosity. The genomic inbreeding based on the ROH was calculated and coupled with information derived from the F (inbreeding coefficient) and F_ST parameters. The mean F_ROH values were low: CAS = 0.06, VBP = 0.05 and VRP = 0.07, while the average F values were −0.003, −0.01 and −0.003, respectively. The annotation and enrichment analysis, performed in the identified most frequent ROH (TOP_ROH), showed genes that can be linked to the resilience capacity of these populations to harsh environmental farming conditions, and to the peculiar characteristics searched for by farmers in each breed.

This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity in the Italian Heavy Horse Breed from pedigree and genomic data. Pedigree information for 64,917 individuals were used to assess inbreeding level, effective population size (Ne), and effective numbers of founders and ancestors (f_a/f_e). Genotypic information from SNP markers were available for 267 individuals of both sexes, and it allowed estimating genomic inbreeding in two methods (observed versus expected homozygosity and from ROH) to study the breed genomic structure and possible selection signatures. Pedigree and genomic inbreeding were greatly correlated (0.65 on average). The inbreeding trend increased over time, apart from periods in which the base population enlarged, when Ne increased also. Recent bottlenecks did not occur in the genome, as f_a/f_e have shown. The observed homozygosity results were on average lower than expected, which was probably due to the use of French Breton stallions to support the breed genetic variability. High homozygous regions suggested that inbreeding increased in different periods. Two subpopulations were distinguished, which was probably due to the different inclusion of French animals by breeders. Few selection signatures were found at the population level, with possible associations to disease resistance. The almost low inbreeding rate suggested that despite the small breed size, conservation actions are not yet required.

The tendency to fight is a well-known behavior in Valdostana cattle, and noncruel traditional contests are organized yearly by farmers to identify the most dominant cow. Cow battles consist of elimination matches that have important economic implications for both tourism and farmers. The aims of this study are 1) to validate a scoring system to express fighting ability, and 2) to carry out a genetic analysis for this trait using different data sets and models. A data set accounting for 16,509 fighting records of 5,981 cows relevant to contests over 6 yr was retained after editing (data set 1). Data on placements were used to compute a placement score accounting for wins, tournament size, and difficulty, and differentiating the 20 preliminary battles each year from the final match. A second data set was created using only the individual best yearly placement scores, that is, deleting repeats with a smaller placement score for the same animal within each year (data set 2; n = 10,367 records, corresponding to a single datum per year per cow). Compared with the placement or position of each cow, the placement score proved to be less skewed (−1.45 for placement position and 1.25 for placement score, respectively) and exhibited better coefficients for the probability of a normal distribution. An animal model REML method analysis (accounting for 13,456 animals in the pedigree) was carried out, with consideration given to different combinations of fixed and random nongenetic factors other than the random animal and permanent environmental effects. Results indicated that random factors other than additive genetic and permanent environment effects did not improve the model fit; therefore, it was not useful to take them into account. Heritability estimates obtained with the model showing the best fit were 0.078 (data set 1) and 0.098 (data set 2). Results of this study indicate that selection for fighting ability in Valdostana cattle using data on battle performance is possible. Copyright © 2010. American Society of Animal Science .

The Italian Heavy Draught Horse (IHDH) breed is selected based on linear type traits (LTT) evaluated at young age on six-month-old foals. However, animals retained for reproduction are scored also at adults age (about 30 months), and the evaluation is mandatory for the final official admission to the stud book of candidate mares and stallions. This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters of LTT scored at 30 months to consider if they are feasible for selection instead of using foal data and to reduce costs of selection plan. Data included 19 years of evaluation for 14 LTT and an overall score. Analyses were performed on 5835 females and 856 males via animal model. The heritability ranged from 0.03 (upper line length) to 0.40 (frame size). Traits of selection interest (head size and expression; temperament/movement; fleshiness; fore diameter; rear diameter) reported heritability between 0.21 and 0.31. High genetic correlations were obtained among traits related to muscular development, 0.73 on average. Positive genetic trends were found in traits of selection interest, already selected from foal type trait data. Accounting for genetic parameters estimated in adult animals instead in foals is feasible in IHDH selection.