Genetic Evaluation for Economically Relevant Traits in Small Ruminants
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 15
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sheep genetics and breeding; functional genomics; gene editing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Small ruminants, including goats, sheep, deer, and new and old world camelids, serve as vital agricultural assets the world over, particularly in resource-limited regions where their productivity traits directly impact food security and rural livelihoods. Despite the widespread application of genomic technologies in cattle and pigs, genetic evaluation in small ruminants faces two major bottlenecks: (1) limited generalizability of genomic prediction models across diverse breeds/environments, and (2) insufficient systematic dissection of genetic regulatory networks underlying key traits. Concurrently, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-omics technologies enable breakthroughs in deciphering polygenic trait architectures and enhancing genomic prediction accuracy. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to advance genetic evaluation and mechanistic insights through (including but not limited to) the following key research directions：
Theme 1: Precision Genetic Evaluation
- Developing cost-effective genotyping strategies via low-pass sequencing and imputation algorithms;
- Integrating automated phenotyping with ensemble machine learning for selection index optimization;
- Enhancing prediction accuracy through novel models and cross-validation frameworks;
Theme 2: Deciphering the Genetic Architecture of Economic Traits
- Integrative multi-omics approaches to dissect causal variants and genetic networks;
- Functional validation via gene editing and mechanistic interrogation;
Theme 3: CRISPR-based editing and AI-driven precision breeding innovations
- CRISPR-based editing in small ruminants;
- AI-driven precision breeding innovations;
We kindly invite researchers to contribute their original research papers, reviews, and short communications to this Special Issue.
Dr. Shanhe Wang
Dr. Zehu Yuan
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- small ruminants
- genetic evaluation
- genetic mechanistic
- economically relevant traits
- multi-omics
- causal variants
- precision breeding
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