SMARTER Training school

The SMARTER training school took place from 27 to 30 March 2023, in Toulouse, France. The primary aim of the event was to introduce early-stage researchers, technicians and post-docs to the SMARTER project and give them an overview of its various aspects, such as the most recent results obtained and the novel techniques being used inside the project.  A total of 19 students from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Nigeria, Cyprus, Switzerland and Ireland attended the event.

The training school was divided into four different modules (with 26 presentations) that focused on the various work packages (WP) of the SMARTER project. The modules were led by experts in the field who are directly involved in specific WP within the project. Each module had practical sessions which allowed the students to undertake their own analysis and understand how data is handled and analysed within SMARTER. Moreover, two challenge sessions were conducted during the summer school to give students a hands-on experience of the research being conducted within SMARTER, as well as allowing them to give us feedback directly on the project. The first challenge session involved data analysis to detect stress in animals, using an un-utilised SMARTER dataset. The second challenge session involved undertaking a farmer-based survey to understand their perceptions and what traits they value, and would select for. These challenge sessions provided the students with a chance to apply the knowledge gained during the modules and workshops and gave them a better understanding of the research being conducted in the SMARTER project.

Click here to read the Agenda. The school was recorded, below you will find the video link for the presentations and the pdf presentations.

Module 1: Traits and methods to compute phenotypes

• “Welcome, General presentation of the Course and of SMARTER” – Riccardo Bica (INRAE). Pdf presentation.
• “Definition of resistance and resilience in small ruminant: concepts, traits and recording, and genetic basis” – Rachel Rupp (INRAE). Pdf presentation.
• “Definition of feed efficiency in small ruminant: concepts, traits and recording, and genetic basis” – Elly Navajas (INIA-UY). Pdf presentation.
• “Handling feed efficiency data in sheep: three examples in meat sheep lambs (cross bred lambs from SRUC and Romane lambs from INRAE) and adult dairy sheep (ASSAF from UNILEON) will be presented (recording and protocols), and datasets provided to handle trait construction, models and concepts with R” – Juan-José Arranz (UNILEON); Nicola Lambe (SRUC); Flavie Tortereau (INRAE). Pdf presentation Juan-José Arranz; Pdf presentation Flavie Torterau; Pdf presentation Nicola Lambe.
• Analysis of resistance to gastrointestinal parasites – Elly Navajas (INIA-UY). Pdf presentation.

Module 2: Mechanistic and statistical modelling of resilience and feed efficiency

• “General introduction to statistical and mechanistic mathematical models” – Masoud Ghaderi-Zefreh (UEDIN). Pdf presentation.
• “Lecture: Statistical models of resilience trajectories from a biologist’s perspective” and “Statistical modelling tutorial”– Nicolas Friggens (INRAE). Pdf presentation.
• “Lecture: Allocation theory in farm animals: from concepts to code” and “Lecture & Tutorial: Manipulating acquisition and allocation parameters to generate variability in production trajectories” – Laurence Puillet (INRAE). Pdf presentation.
• “Lecture and tutorial: Modelling resilience of sheep to gastro-intestinal parasite infections” – Frédéric Douhard (INRAE). Pdf presentation.

Module 3 – Detecting Stress and evaluating ability to cope with stress

• “Measures of stresses (THI, bacterial load, farm effect…)” – Andres Legarra (CDCB). Pdf presentation.
• “Reaction norm model with observed covariates” –  Masoud Ghaderi-Zefreh (UEDIN). Pdf presentation.
• “Introduction to BLUPF90 software suite” – Andres Legarra (CDCB). Pdf presentation.
• “Reaction norm model with observed covariates – second part” – Masoud Ghaderi-Zefreh (UEDIN). Pdf presentation.
• “Introduction to BLUPF90 software suite – second part” – Andres Legarra (CDCB).
• “Detection of unrecorded environmental challenges” – Carolina Garcia-Baccino (NUCLEUS). Pdf presentation.
• “Inferring stresses (challenge levels) from farm effects” – Masoud Ghaderi-Zefreh (UEDIN). Pdf presentation.
• “Challenge session” – Riccardo Bica (INRAE). Pdf presentation.

Module 4: How can resilience and efficiency traits impact system performances and modify farmers’ breeding choices

• “Presentation of the cases studies Livestock Farming System by countries” – Vincent Thénard (INRAE). Pdf presentation.
• “A farm-scale mathematical model to simulate economic performance under infectious and non-infectious challenges” – Alexandros Theodoridis (AUTH). Pdf presentation.
• “OSIRIS, a bio-economic model, that allows to define an economic breeding goal for ruminants” – Stéphanie Coppin (IDELE). Pdf presentation.
• “SMARTER Survey” – Cléa Michelet (INRAE). Pdf presentation.
• “Conduct interviews on farmers’ practices to identify paragons of livestock selection management” – Vincent Thénard (INRAE). Pdf presentation.
• “How to imagine new select traits based on participatory approach using LEGO game” – Vincent Thénard (INRAE). Pdf presentation.