Genome-wide association study of first lambing age and lambing interval in sheep

Abstract First lambing age and lambing interval are among the most important reproductive traits affecting profitability of sheep breeding systems. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed on estimated breeding values (EBVs) for age at first lambing and the lambing interval between first and second lambing in Lori-Bakhtiari ewes. Animals were genotyped using the Illumina Ovine SNP50 K genotyping array. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with lambing interval were identified on chromosomes 1 and 2 (Bonferroni adjusted P-value