Predicted response of genomic selection for new traits using combined cow and bull reference populations

Genomic selection is particularly beneficial for dairy cattle breeding programs, because it allows to significantly reduce generation interval, and cheaply increase selection intensity, while the accuracy of selection is only marginally lower compared to progeny testing schemes. It relaxes the requirement of traditional dairy cattle breeding schemes to measure phenotypes from progeny groups for each male selection candidate. Therefore, genomic selection holds the promise to allow selection for new traits, that are difficult or expensive to measure.