Italian Holstein Cow Efficiency Data: Genes, Digestibility and Methane

A 2026 study by Francesca Bernini compares 136 high- and low-efficiency Italian Holstein cows using data from automatic milking systems. The dataset includes results from a genome-wide association study identifying 28 significant SNPs and 51 candidate genes, and zootechnical measurements from 30 cows during late lactation. It contains measurements of milk yield, methane emissions intensity, and fibre digestibility.

Use Cases

• Identify genetic markers for dairy cow efficiency based on GWAS results for 28 SNPs.
• Analyze relationships between milk production efficiency and methane emission intensity per liter.
• Compare fibre and protein digestibility metrics between high- and low-efficiency cow groups.
• Validate residual-based efficiency phenotypes using apparent total tract digestibility data.

Strengths

• Includes genomic data from a GWAS identifying 28 significant SNPs across 13 autosomes.
• Contains specific, statistically significant measurements (e.g., methane per liter: 14.40 vs. 17.20 g/L; p=0.02).
• Data derived from a controlled herd under uniform feeding conditions, reducing environmental variability.
• File size is 472.7 KB, indicating a compact, focused dataset.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is from a single herd of Italian Holstein cows, limiting generalizability.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Francesca Bernini.

Collection Method

Data collected from automatic milking systems (AMS) and selective genotyping using the GGP Bovine 100k SNP array.

Time Range

Data collection likely occurred during late lactation periods.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-13 16:07:29; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Sample from a herd of Italian Holstein cows.