A primer on sequencing and genotype imputation in cattle

Since their introduction to the beef industry, genotyping technologies have opened the door for genomic selection and accelerated population improvement. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays have served as the backbone of genomic selection programs since their introduction. Developments in sequencing and genotype imputation offer alternatives to array-based genotyping that have the potential to provide orders of magnitude more information at a lower cost. In this review, I give an overview of array-based genotyping, genomic sequencing, and low-pass sequencing & imputation. Additionally, I provide perspectives on how low-coverage sequencing and imputation could simultaneously drive genomic discovery and be used for routine genotyping as sequencing costs continue to decline.