Genomic Selection: Does It Hold a Future for Genetic Improvement of Indigenous Goats in Uganda

Goats are among the most reared ruminants in Uganda for mainly meat production. Indigenous goat breeds, are currently of low productivity compared to exotic. However, they are known to possess very important traits such as resistance to diseases and adaptability to local environmental challenges among others. To meet the increasing demand for goat products locally, regionally and internationally, there is need for selective breeding of better performing indigenous goats to allow for gradual improvement of different traits of economic importance to the goat industry. Improvement programs in Uganda are curtailed by the lack of recording of important phenotypes and pedigree information necessary for predicting genetic potentials of selection candidates. The availability of large SNP chips for most of the livestock species of economic importance is making genomic selection the tool of choice for genetic improvement of traits that are difficult or expensive to measure. It involves use of both phenotypes and SNP marker genotype information on a reference (training) population to develop genomic breeding value (GEBV) prediction equations. The developed prediction equations are then used to estimate GEBVs of selection candidates from which goats with the highest GEBVs are selected as parents. The fact, that this process of selection does not require phenotype or pedigree information on the selection candidates makes it a suitable tool for genetic improvement of Uganda’s goats without investing heavily in phenotype or pedigree recording. This review provides an overview of genomic selection, its relevance and applicability to improving Ugandan indigenous goat breeds.