General Zootechnics and Genetic Improvement

Animal bioethics and the evolution of the human-animal relationship (2 hours)
Animal welfare: comparing animalistic perspectives (2 hours)
The bioethical approach to animal welfare in the context of animal use (2 hours)
Bioethics in Veterinary Sciences: Evaluating the interests of Non-Human Animals (2 hours)

1. Principles of Genetics (locus, genes, genetic and genotypic frequencies) - 1 hour;
2. Mendel's laws and exceptions - 1 hour;
3. Hardy Weinberg's law, random mating and non-random mating systems, migration, selection - 2 hours;
4. Principle of quantitative genetics - 1 hour;
5. The 1 locus model: population mean, dominance deviation, breeding value - 2 hours;
6. Relationship and inbreeding - 2 hours;
7. Steps in setting a genetic improvement program - 1 hour
8. The infinitesimal model and the population genetics parameters (heritability, repeatability and correlation) - 2 hours
9. Organization of the breeders and farmers national system. The animal recording system - 2 hours;
10. Productive traits, lactation curve and functional traits - 2 hours;
11. Identification of reproducers - Breeding value and its reliability - 3 hours;
12. Genetic Markers - 2 hours
13. Genomic selection and selection schemes - 3 hours;
14. Expected genetic gain - 1 hour;
15. identification of animals and information recorded in the herd book and analysis of an animal certificate - 1 hour;
16. Selection objectives and mating programs in Italian livestock populations - 6 hours.
17. Selection in horse, cats and dogs - 2 hours

Practical labs
Supervised practical training will occur in Dairy Farms and in lab (8 hours in farms 8 hours in lab)

The practical training will be repeated to independent subgroups of students