Quali obiettivi di selezione per fronteggiare i cambiamenti climatici

Abstract Climate change (CC) is one of the world’s major concerns. The rise of average temperatures, decrease of rainfalls, and increase of extreme weather events will affect agriculture, including livestock productions, in many areas of the world. Selection for tolerance to adverse weather conditions is one of the tools to mitigate the effects of CC on livestock production. An essential element is the choice of phenotypes. Physiological variables are difficult to measure on a large scale, but precision livestock farming can be of great help in this respect. The use of performance data combined with environmental variables is easier to apply, even if the results are strongly influenced by the mathematical-statistical models used. Given the complexity of the relationships with other phenotypes, resistance to adverse climatic conditions should be included in a selection index aggregated with other productive and functional traits. Genomics will provide a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the genetic determinism of the ability to adapt to climate change. In this context, local breeds are of great importance, as their genetic evolution has been largely driven by adaptation to environmental conditions. The use of genomic selection could speed up genetic progress in selection for tolerance to adverse climatic conditions.