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Linkage disequilibrium (LD), the observed correlation between alleles at different loci in the genome, is a determinant parameter in many applications of molecular genetics. With the wider use of genomic technologies in animal breeding and animal genetics, it is worthwhile revising and improving the current knowledge and understanding of cattle LD.

This study analyzes levels of LD assessed through the r² measurement in seven breeds of cattle from both indicine (Bos indicus) and taurine (Bos taurus) (sub)species, genotyped with a high density panel (HD) of over 777,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Average levels of LD were assessed for inter-marker distances from 0 kb up to 10 Mb. Two more SNP panels were built in silico from the original genotypes to represent a lower density SNP chip including approximately 50,000 SNPs (50K) and a panel of 249,000 SNPs chosen to comply with …