Articles | Volume 69, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-69-563-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-69-563-2026
Original study
 | 
06 Oct 2026
Original study |  | 06 Oct 2026

Genome-wide association study of gestation length in German Holsteins

Maximilian Zölch, Valentin P. Haas, Christin Schmidtmann, Hatem Alkhoder, Jens Tetens, and Jörn Bennewitz

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Cited articles

Abo-Ismail, M. K., Brito, L. F., Miller, S. P., Sargolzaei, M., Grossi, D. A., Moore, S. S., Plastow, G., Stothard, P., Nayeri, S., and Schenkel, F. S.: Genome-wide association studies and genomic prediction of breeding values for calving performance and body conformation traits in Holstein cattle, Genet. Sel. Evol., 49, 82, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-017-0356-8, 2017. 
Aponte, P. F. C., Carneiro, P. L. S., Araujo, A. C., Pedrosa, V. B., Fotso-Kenmogne, P. R., Silva, D. A., Miglior, F., Schenkel, F. S., and Brito, L. F.: Investigating the genomic background of calving-related traits in Canadian Jersey cattle, J. Dairy Sci., 107, 11195–11213, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-24768, 2024. 
Branham, K. K. R., Sherman, E., Golzy, M., Drobnis, E. Z., and Schulz, L. C.: Association of serum leptin at 24–28 weeks gestation with initiation and progression of labor in women, Sci. Rep., 12, 16016, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-19868-0, 2022. 
Browning, B. L., Zhou, Y., and Browning, S. R.: A One-Penny Imputed Genome from Next-Generation Reference Panels, Am. J. Hum. Genet., 103, 338–348, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.07.015, 2018. 
Browning, S. R. and Browning, B. L.: Rapid and accurate haplotype phasing and missing-data inference for whole-genome association studies by use of localized haplotype clustering, Am. J. Hum. Genet., 81, 1084–1097, https://doi.org/10.1086/521987, 2007. 
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Short summary
Gestation length (GL) is an important component of fertility in cows, as it interacts with stillbirth and calving ease. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was applied to a dataset of German Holstein cows, aiming to identify genomic variants associated with direct and maternal GL. We found variants for the direct effect on GL at BTA14, 18, and 19. This is consistent with previous studies in other populations, allowing the transfer of their insights.
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