Research

The BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation service is provided to both Australian and international clients of the Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) and so represents the most widely used genetic evaluation service for beef cattle internationally.  Over 60 separate BREEDPLAN evaluations have been developed, representing over 14 million animals, almost 40 beef cattle breeds and at least 100 breed associations distributed across 14 countries.

The BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation and associated technologies, the validation of outcomes and provision of routine commercial services are underpinned by extensive and collaborative research and development activities.

Research Partners

The development of BREEDPLAN was essentially the founding project for the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), based at the University of New England (UNE).  AGBU is an unincorporated joint venture of the UNE and NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI).  For over 40 years it has done the underpinning Research and Development to develop the BREEDPLAN Analytical system and associated tools.  The funding for that development has been through a mix of cash investment from the red meat industry via Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and its predecessor organisations, with co-investment in cash and in-kind from UNE and NSW DPI.

Alongside the developments of the BREEDPLAN software and associated tools, the ABRI has invested in software and systems to enable users to interact with BREEDPLAN: systems for data input, data checking, routine analysis, reporting and support.

ABRI Research Vision

To provide access to research opportunities that will enhance the provision of genetic evaluation services to clients using BREEDPLAN and associated technologies.

ABRI Research and Development

The Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) engages in a range of research and development activities to enhance the value of using BREEDPLAN and associated technologies.

These activities include:

  • Analyses to demonstrate the impact of data source/s on EBVs and accuracy
  • Diagnostic feedback on EBV changes
  • Technical feedback on implementation of analytical changes
  • Review of performance recording trends
  • Estimation of genetic parameters for use in routine beef cattle genetic evaluation
  • Development and implementation of international BREEDPLAN evaluations
  • Development and implementation of multi-breed BREEDPLAN evaluations
  • Estimation of genetic linkage between regions and countries
  • Review of genomic data quantity and quality
  • Genomic structure of populations
  • Genome-wide association studies to identify possible SNPs of significant effect
  • Provision of technical updates on specific topics of relevance to BREEDPLAN clients
  • Collaboration with other industry research partners
  • Provision of data extracts requested for research under Material Transfer Agreements

Key personnel are also available to provide technical support and updates either in-person or via webinar.

For further information contact Dr. Brad Crook, Manager of Genetics Research and Development, at genetics@abri.une.edu.au.

International BREEDPLAN Evaluation Development

BREEDPLAN's Dr. Brad Crook presented on work towards an International Hereford Evaluation at the Boehringer Ingelheim World Hereford Conference in New Zealand, in March 2020. Video courtesy of the Boehringer Ingelheim World Hereford Conference.

Focus Papers

More genotypes than markers: the SS-T-BLUP model in action. An application study in multi-trait Australian Angus BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation
Multi-trait single step genetic evaluation is increasingly facing the situation of having more individuals with genotypes than an individuals’ genotype has markers. This leads to an algebraically impossible inversion of the genomic relationship matrix (G). Recent derivations in single step equations called SS-T-BLUP have provided…
Implementation of single-step genomic BREEDPLAN evaluations in Australian beef cattle
Single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP) procedures have now been implemented into Australia’s BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation system for beef cattle. This major remodelling required the development of many new features and modifications to existing procedures. The first requirement was the construction of a flexible but robust set of…
Genetic evaluation for the beef industry in Australia
Genetic evaluation for beef cattle in Australia has been performed using an animal model with best linear unbiased prediction since 1984. The evaluation procedures have evolved from simple to more complex models and from few to a large number of traits, including traits for reproduction…
Genome-wide association study of carcase and eating quality traits in Australian Angus beef cattle
Eating quality traits are important determinants of consumer satisfaction and are considered as traits of economic importance for genetic improvement in the Australian beef industry. In this study, the genotypic and phenotypic data of 3,454 Angus cattle were analysed to identify genomic regions that potentially…
Genetic parameters for cow weight at calving and at calf weaning in South African Simmental cattle
A study was conducted to compare mature cow weight in the South African Simmental population when defined as the weight of the cow at calving or the weight of the cow at weaning of the calf. From a breeding perspective, these results confirm that little…
Two years in: Lessons from the introduction of Hereford Single-Step BREEDPLAN
The first multi-country multi-trait single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP) BREEDPLAN analysis was released for the Hereford breed in October 2017, combining the pedigree, performance and genomic data from Australia, New Zealand and Namibia. Nearly 18 months later, Hereford breeders have embraced genotyping with a 3.8-fold increase in…
The relationship between the myostatin gene and calving ease in beef cattle: a review of published research literature
Double muscling is a hereditary genetic syndrome affecting cattle, and is most notably characterised by the extreme hypertrophy of muscles, occurring in most breeds of cattle. While the double-muscled phenotype has the benefit of increased yield over the hook with a larger percentage of higher…
Development of the beef genomic pipeline for BREEDPLAN single step evaluation
Single step genomic BLUP (SS-GBLUP) for BREEDPLAN beef cattle evaluations is currently being tested for implementation across a number of breeds. A genomic data pipeline has been developed to enable efficient analysis of the industry-recorded SNP genotypes for incorporation in SS-GBLUP analyses. Complex data collection,…
Developments in multi-source genetic evaluations for beef cattle: A BREEDPLAN perspective
ABRI provides the BREEDPLAN® genetic evaluation service to both Australian and international clients, and so represents the most widely used genetic evaluation service for beef cattle internationally. Approximately 63 separate BREEDPLAN evaluations have been developed, representing over 40 million animals, almost 40 beef cattle breeds…