GENOMIC DETERMINATION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FATHER LINES OF SLOVAK PINZGAU COWS

The aim of this study was to assess genetic structure of Slovak Pinzgau populationbased on polymorphism at molecular markers using statistical methods. Femaleoffspring of 12 most frequently used bulls in Slovak Pinzgau breeding programmewere investigated. Pinzgau cattle were found to have a high level of diversity,supported by the number of alleles observed across loci (average 5.31, range 2-11)and by the high within-breed expected heterozygosity (average 0.66, range 0.64-0.73). The state of genetic diversity is satisfying and standard for local populations.Detection of 12 possible subpopulation structures provided us with detailedinformation of the genetic structure. The Bayesian approach was applied, detectingthree, as the most probable number of clusters. The similarity of eachsubpopulation using microsatellites was confirmed also by high-throughputmolecular data. The observed inbreeding (FROH=2.3%) was higher than thatexpected based on pedigree data (FPED=0.4%) due to the limited number ofavailable generations in pedigree data. One of the most important steps indevelopment of efficient autochthonous breed protection programs ischaracterization of genetic variability and assessment of the population structure.The chosen set of microsatellites confirmed the suitability in determination of thesubpopulations of Pinzgau cattle in Slovakia. The state of genetic diversity at moredetailed level was successfully performed using bovineSNP50 BeadChip.