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This chapter reviews advances in breeding for improved thermotolerance in dairy cattle. It starts by providing some background on why heat stress is a problem in heat production. The chapter then moves on to describe natural selection for thermotolerance and also reviews the physiological and cellular basis for thermotolerance in dairy cattle. A section on hybridisation of thermotolerant and high-producing breeds is also included, followed by a review of genetic variation in thermotolerance within dairy breeds. The chapter provides an overview of prospects for selection for thermotolerance within dairy breeds and the use of genome-wide association studies. Specific genes with identified alleles affecting thermotolerance are also discussed. The chapter also provides a case study on the effectiveness of gene discovery and introgression, focusing specifically on the slick hair coat allele of the prolactin receptor gene.
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Natural selection for thermotolerance
- 3 Physiological and cellular basis for thermotolerance
- 4 Hybridisation of thermotolerant and high-producing breeds
- 5 Genetic variation in thermotolerance within dairy breeds
- 6 Prospects for selection for thermotolerance within dairy breeds
- 7 Genome-wide association studies for thermotolerance
- 8 Genes with identified alleles affecting thermotolerance
- 9 The slick hair coat allele of the prolactin receptor gene a case study of the effectiveness of gene discovery and introgression
- 10 Conclusion and future trends
- 12 Dedication
- 13 Acknowledgments
- 14 Declaration of funding and conflicts of interest
- 15 References