Advances in molecular breeding research of goat fecundity

Litter size trait is crucial for the economic benefits of goat industry. But litter size trait which shows low heritability (approximately 0.152) is hard to be improved by traditional breeding technologies. Molecular breeding is the only effective way to alleviate the inefficiency and long cycle length of traditional breeding. This study systematically describes the recent progress in goat fecundity molecular breeding. The necessity of molecular breeding was introduced. The scope, characteristics, achievement, problem and promise of molecular breeding were discussed. The achievements of goat fecundity in the genomic breeding, transgenic breeding and molecular design breeding were stressed. The problem of goat fecundity molecular breeding was discussed. Base on the study, the route, strategy and promise were anticipated.