Effects of a chromosome 9 quantitative trait locus for ascites on economically important traits in broilers.

A quantitative trait locus on chromosome 9 was previously shown to be associated with ascites in multiple experimental and commercial populations. A study to evaluate the association of the QTL, based on variable number tandem repeat genotypes, with economically important traits was carried out on a commercial male elite line. Results indicated the highest fat and the lowest fillet mean were associated with the most resistant ascites genotype. All other traits measured for this genotype showed no trend towards positive or negatively impacting production values. The results suggest that a balanced approach could be undertaken in commercial broiler breeding operations to reduce ascites susceptibility in broiler populations without compromising overall genetic progress for traits of economic importance.