This new test is an evolution of HD 50K, a genomic testing platform from Zoetis. HD 50K was introduced in 2010. Since its introduction, more than 170,000 beef seedstock animals have been tested, resulting in a vast reference population of genotyped animals. This widespread adoption of HD 50K and the resulting data bank of tested animals have fueled i50K development.

“The new i50K genomic test is a result of HD 50K adoption, primarily by Angus breeders, weekly genetic evaluations delivered by Angus Genetics Inc., advances in genotyping and a process called imputation,” says Kent Andersen, associate director of global technical services. “As a result, Zoetis and our breed association partners are able to offer i50K at an even more cost-effective price."

That reduction in cost is attributable largely to a process called imputation used extensively in the dairy industry and which the company relies on for the new test. The imputation process uses pattern recognition to effectively determine (impute) higher density genotypes from a subset of lower density, strategically selected genetic markers. A practical example of the pattern recognition concept is people’s ability to easily read sentences even when some letters or words are missing from the sentence.

The company claims that this genomic test has been demonstrated to be accurate and dependable in generating genomically enhanced EPDs (GE-EPDs), indexes, accuracy values and associated progeny equivalents that are effectively the same as those from HD 50K.

Breeders can use this new test, associated GE-EPDs and parentage verification, as well as genomic percentile ranks for difficult, time-consuming and expensive to measure traits (i.e., dry matter intake, tenderness, etc.) to make more informed decisions about young animals. The company says that early in life, more information about an animal’s genetic potential can be known than if that animal had 10-20 progeny and daughter and carcass records contributing to its traditional EPDs.

Knowing more, sooner, about an animal’s genetic potential helps breeders make selection, mating and management decisions with greater efficiency.

This test is currently available for registered Angus animals through the American Angus Association. The test includes parentage verification and also enables sire assignments for commercial Black Angus users of GeneMax Focus and GeneMax Advantage, as the markers used in those tests are also included in the i50K genotyping platform.

To order a test and learn more about i50K, visit the Zoetis website.  

—From Zoetis news release