My research mainly concerns the genetics of behavior in dogs, dairy cattle and horse genetics and some studies related to developing countries.
Teaching
I am mainly teaching in the course Animal Genetics - Health, behaviour and welfare and in our introductory breeding courses.
Research
I have been involved in several projects that have been aimed at quantifying the amount of genetic variation (and covariation) in various types of traits in various species. The traits studied have been fertility, health, behavior, maternal ability, performance or production, and longevity; and mainly in the species dairy cattle, horses, and dogs. I'm involved in several collaborative projects with, e.g., VikingGenetics and Växa (regarding dairy cattle) and the Swedish Kennel Club.
Background
• Professor in animal breeding and genetics, SLU, 2003 • Associate professor (Docent) SLU, 1997 • PhD in Animal Breeding (AgrD) SLU, 1991 • Master of Science (Dairy Science) Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, 1983 • Master of Science in Agriculture (Animal Science) SLU, 1982
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Supervision
Currently I am working with the following PhD-student projects:
Genomic evaluation of South American camelids from Bolivia
Selection strategies in Swedish Warmblood horses - Sandra Bonow
Improved breeding program for trotting horses in Sweden - Paulina Berglund
Recently finished PhD-student projects
Studies of pregnancy loss in dairy cattle - Patricia Gullstrand
Use of cow genotyping to improve genetic progress, farm profit and food production in Sweden (industry PhD student Christian Bengtsson, VikingGenetics)
Individually adapted lactation lengths in dairy cattle - Anna Edvardsson Rasmussen, PhD student at dept of animal nutrition and management
Crossbreeding in dairy cattle: novel breeding tools for sustainable dairy and beef production - Julie Brastrup Clasen
Phenotypic and genetic characterization, conservation and breeding programs of Creole cattle in Cochabamba and Tarija (Bolivia) - Gabriela Bottani
Comparison of the performance traits between indigenous cattle and its crossbreds in Rwanda- Maximillian Manzi
International breeding programs to improve health in pedigree dogs - Shizhi Wang
Selected publications
Dogs and horses
Nordang Kieler, Ida, Sofia Malm Persson, Ragnvi Hagman, Voichita D. Marinescu, Åke Hedhammar, Erling Strandberg, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, and Maja Louise Arendt. 2024. Genome wide association study in Swedish Labrador retrievers identifies genetic loci associated with hip dysplasia and body weight. Scientfic Reports 14, 6090 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56060-y
Bonow, S., Eriksson, S., Strandberg, E., Thorén Hellsten, E. & Gelinder Viksten, Å. 2024. Relationship between descriptive linearly scored traits and sport performance in the Swedish Warmblood horse population. Livestock Science 282 (2024) 105438
Berglund, P., Andonov, S., Strandberg, E. & Eriksson, S. 2023. Should performance at different race lengths be treated as genetically distinct traits in Coldblooded trotters? J. Animal Breeding and Genetics 141:220–234. DOI: 10.1111/jbg.12837
Strandberg, E. Linda Andersson, Ulf Emanuelson, Charlotte Reinhard Bjørnvad, Sara Ringmark, Åke Hedhammar, and Katja Höglund. 2023. Heritability and Genetic Trend of Body Weight in Dogs of Different Breeds in Sweden. J Anim Sci 101:skad173. doi: 10.1093/jas/skad173
Dairy Cattle
Espinola Alfonso, R.E., Fikse, W.F., Calus, M. & Strandberg, E. 2024. How does a beef x dairy calving affect the dairy cow’s following lactation? J Dairy Sci. 107: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-24170
Ask-Gullstrand, P., E. Strandberg, R. Båge and B. Berglund. 2023. Genetic parameters of pregnancy loss in dairy cows estimated from pregnancy-associated glycoproteins in milk. J. Dairy Sci. 106:6316-6324. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-23007
Eriksson, S., A.M. Johansson and E. Strandberg. 2023. Changes in genomic inbreeding and diversity over half a century in Swedish Red and Swedish Holstein dairy cattle. J. Animal Breeding and Genetics 140(3):295-303. doi: 10.1111/jbg.12758
Edvardsson-Rasmussen, A., Holtenius, K., Båge, R., Strandberg, E., Åkerlind, M. & Kronqvist, Cecilia, 2023. A randomized study on the effect of extended voluntary waiting period in primiparous dairy cows on milk yield during first and second lactation. J Dairy Sci 106(4):2510-2518. doi: 10.3168/jds.2022-22773
Edvardsson-Rasmussen, A., Båge, R., Holtenius, K., Strandberg, E., von Brömssen, C., Åkerlind, M. & Kronqvist, Cecilia, 2023. A randomized study on the effect of an extended voluntary waiting period in primiparous dairy cows on fertility, health and culling during first and second lactation. J. Dairy Sci. 106:8897-8909 https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-23470
Bengtsson C, Stålhammar H, Thomasen JR, Fikse WF, Strandberg E, Eriksson S. Mating allocations in Holstein combining genomic information and linear programming optimization at the herd level. J Dairy Sci.106(5):3359-3375. doi: 10.3168/jds.2022-22926.
Bengtsson, C., Stålhammar, H., Thomasen, J.R., Eriksson, S., Fikse, W.F., Strandberg, E. 2022. Mating allocations in Nordic Red Dairy Cattle using genomic information. J. Dairy Sci. 105 (2), 1281-1297
Bottani-Claros, G., Jonas, E. & Strandberg, E. 2022. Relevance of the production system for the sustainability of conservation and breeding programs for the Creole cattle in Pasorapa, Bolivia. Discover Sustainablity 3, 19 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-022-00085-8
