MULTI-DIMENSION PHENOTYPING TO ENHANCE PREDICTION OF PERFORMANCE IN SWINE

Objective 1. Identify proteins, genes, and quantitative trait loci associated with important phenotypes to improve efficiency of swine production. Sub-objective 1.A: Improving methodologies to enhance the analysis of gene expression data. Sub-objective 1.B: Improve nutrient utilization and conversion of feed to muscle. Sub-objective 1.C: Improve lifetime reproductive performance. Objective 2. Develop machine learning methods and artificial intelligence models that incorporate production data, biological assays, and data acquired via electronic monitoring. Sub-objective 2.A: Enable prediction of animal performance to inform management decisions in real-time. Sub-objective 2.B: Enhance selection decisions to improve performance of future generations.