Genome-wide association study for calving traits in Danish and Swedish Holstein cattle

A total of 22 quantitative trait loci (QTL) were detected on 19 chromosomes for direct and maternal calving traits in cattle using a genome-wide association study. Calving performance is affected by the genotypes of both the calf (direct effect) and dam (maternal effect). To identify the QTL contributing these effects to calving characteristics, we performed a genome-wide association study using a mixed-model analysis in Danish and Swedish Holstein cattle. The analysis incorporated 2,062 progeny-tested bulls, and 36,387 single nucleotide polymorphism markers on 29 bovine autosomes were analyzed for association with 14 calving traits. Strong evidence for the presence of QTL that affect calving traits was observed on chromosomes 4, 6, 12, 18, 20, and 25. The QTL intervals were generally smaller than those described in earlier linkage studies. The identification of calving trait-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms and mapping of the corresponding QTL in small chromosomal regions will facilitate the search for candidate calving performance genes and polymorphisms.