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I receive questions weekly about parentage results and how to interpret them. Having a basic understanding of key terminology used by Associations is helpful. Keep in mind, breeders submit DNA parentage testing to confirm likely sire/dam for the offspring. Submitting potential candidate parent(s) for an offspring is crucial to locating the appropriate sire and dam. Depending on genetic variation within a breed or in herd population, you can have multiple parent(s) qualify to an offspring due to the close relationship and number of markers being utilized in comparisons. If you have a closely related population it is always encouraged to have SNP parentage markers for the possible sire and dam’s of the offspring so that a trio comparison can be performed and exclude the incorrect mating(s) for the offspring. If you have questions on parentage, reach out or comment below.
Qualified – offspring does not exclude to parent(s) provided
Exclusion – offspring does not qualify to parent(s) provided
*Mating Exclusion – offspring qualifies to sire and dam independently, but does not qualify as a mated pair
Trio Qualification – offspring qualifies to sire, dam and as a mated pair
Not on File – parentage markers not located in Association database for the given animal
Re-Check – Compare offspring to alternate parent(s)
Marker Exclusions – how many markers are not matching from parent to offspring
– This is great information to be aware of so alternate parent(s) can be potentially narrowed down
Common Markers – how many markers were compared between parent and offspring
Sire Verified – sire listed on pedigree has qualified as the likely sire for the animal, dam does not have DNA parentage on file for comparison
Dam Verified – dam listed on pedigree has qualified as the likely dam for the animal, sire does not have DNA parentage on file for comparison
Parent Verified – parents listed on pedigree have qualified as the likely parents for the animal
*Mating Exclusions
Mating exclusions are tough to explain, can be complicated and frustrating for all involved. Here’s my best attempt at explaining how this happens.
Offspring is compared to sire, dam and then as a mated pair. There are instances where the calf qualifies to the sire and dam independently but not to the mating. For example, if the offspring is A/T and the sire is T/T, qualifies. Dam is T/T, qualifies but when put together we have a calf that received an A from a parent and neither parent in this case had an A to give. Therefore that counts as a “Mating exclusion”. Offspring are typically allowed 1 marker exclusion per 100 markers compared to be considered a qualifying result. Oftentimes mating exclusions can be cleared up in the following ways:
– likely parent may be closely related to nominated parent, i.e., full siblings or parent/offspring scenario
– asking for evaluation of SNP marker calls to ensure calls are solid at exclusion markers for sire, dam and offspring
– submitting a new sample for testing using a different sample type and test, i.e., if you ran a genomic panel the first time via TSU, submitting a blood/hair card for SeekSire (parentage only) testing the 2nd time
If you’re not a Data Genie client, consulting directly with the breed association DNA staff is always advised to get a better feel for your specific case.
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