ProgenyTest

Progeny testing is a method in genetics and breeding used to assess an individual's genetic merit by analyzing the performance of its offspring. It is widely used in livestock to evaluate sires (and, less commonly, dams) by comparing their progeny against those of other individuals. The approach aims to estimate breeding value while separating genetic effects from environmental influences that affect progeny performance.

Data are collected from a number of progeny raised under diverse conditions. Statistical models, typically mixed models with random genetic effects, separate additive genetic merit from environmental and maternal influences. The result is an estimated breeding value (EBV) or genomic EBV for the candidate. Reliability increases with the number of progeny and the quality of their records. Progeny testing often uses artificial insemination to generate many offspring from a candidate sire over multiple years.

Applications span dairy and beef cattle, pigs, and poultry, and include traits such as production, fertility, conformation, and survival. In plants, progeny testing uses crosses to infer parental merit for yield, disease resistance, or stress tolerance. The method is particularly valuable when a parent's own phenotype is limited or strongly influenced by the environment.

Advantages include higher accuracy of genetic merit and earlier selection compared with single-phenotype evaluation. Limitations are cost, time requirements, and the need for large progeny numbers. Genomic selection increasingly supplements progeny tests by providing additional information to improve breeding value estimates.