SELECTION OF GRANDPARENTAL COMBINATIONS AS A PROCEDURE DESIGNED TO MAKE USE OF DOMINANCE GENETIC-EFFECTS

A general procedure called selection of grandparental combinations (SG PC) is presented, which allows one to use dominance genetic effects. T he method assumes that there are two types of matings: either to breed the population or to obtain commercial animals. The idea is to select grandparental combinations such that the overall genetic merit of fut ure grandoffspring which constitute the commercial animals is maximize d. Two small computer simulated examples are analysed assuming either a infinitesimal genetic model or that QTL controlling the trait are kn own. (C) Inra/Elsevier, Paris.