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Review
. 2023 Oct 13;14(10):1933.
doi: 10.3390/genes14101933.

Genomic Selection for Dairy Cattle Behaviour Considering Novel Traits in a Changing Technical Production Environment

Larissa Elisabeth Behren  1 , Sven König  1 , Katharina May  1
Affiliations
Review

Genomic Selection for Dairy Cattle Behaviour Considering Novel Traits in a Changing Technical Production Environment

Larissa Elisabeth Behren et al. Genes (Basel). .

Abstract

Cow behaviour is a major factor influencing dairy herd profitability and is an indicator of animal welfare and disease. Behaviour is a complex network of behavioural patterns in response to environmental and social stimuli and human handling. Advances in agricultural technology have led to changes in dairy cow husbandry systems worldwide. Increasing herd sizes, less time availability to take care of the animals and modern technology such as automatic milking systems (AMSs) imply limited human-cow interactions. On the other hand, cow behaviour responses to the technical environment (cow-AMS interactions) simultaneously improve production efficiency and welfare and contribute to simplified "cow handling" and reduced labour time. Automatic milking systems generate objective behaviour traits linked to workability, milkability and health, which can be implemented into genomic selection tools. However, there is insufficient understanding of the genetic mechanisms influencing cow learning and social behaviour, in turn affecting herd management, productivity and welfare. Moreover, physiological and molecular biomarkers such as heart rate, neurotransmitters and hormones might be useful indicators and predictors of cow behaviour. This review gives an overview of published behaviour studies in dairy cows in the context of genetics and genomics and discusses possibilities for breeding approaches to achieve desired behaviour in a technical production environment.

Keywords: automatic milking system; biomarker; cortisol; genetic parameters; human–animal relationship; learning behaviour; maternal behaviour; milking speed; social behaviour; temperament.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Behavioural components in dairy cattle. Dairy cow behaviour is composed of various complexes: maintenance, feeding, activity and reproductive behaviour, social behaviour, cow–human interactions, and cow–AMS interactions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Molecular biomarkers known to be involved in dairy cow behaviour. The complex of behaviour molecular biomarkers includes hormones of the HPA axis, metabolites in the prefrontal cortex, neurotransmitters, serum metabolites and circulating IgA. The hormone ACTA stimulates cortisol production in the adrenal gland. Simultaneously, increased cortisol concentration in plasma negatively regulates ACTH production by the pituitary gland. The neurotransmitters are synthesised and released by neurons and act within synaptic gaps to transmit signals between neurons. Some neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine, endorphin) act as both neurotransmitters and as hormones. Molecular biomarkers potentially involved in dairy cow maternal behaviour (verified in other animal species) are written in yellow boxes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Genetic correlations among behaviour traits from Table 2 and between behaviour traits and milk yield. The correlations are based on references listed in Table 2. Circles indicate the range of genetic correlations. Positive genetic correlations are presented above the diagonal and negative genetic correlations are presented below the diagonal.
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Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), grant numbers MA 9262/4-1 and KO 3520/18-1.

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