Bibliometric mapping of the genotype x environment interaction in livestock animals

The Genotype x Environment Interaction (GxE) is a phenomenon widely disseminated between animals and plants, constituting an essential complication for the work of breeders, requiring that improvement be conducted under the same conditions in which the genotype will be used. Several primary studies exploring GxE in various species have been published in recent decades, as well as secondary studies synthesizing, analyzing, and exploring these results. These works contributed to knowledge and a better understanding of this critical phenomenon. However, no study is available that explores this topic from a scientometric point of view. Thus, this work aimed to analyze the structure, patterns, and trends of scientific research generated over time on GxE in different species of zootechnical interest. A thorough search was performed in the Scopus bi bliographic database, and the resulting database was managed using the Mendeley program version 1.19.8. The Bibliometrix 3.2.1 package implemented in the R 4.2.0 program and the VOSviewer 1.6.18 program were used for scientific mapping analyses and descriptive statistics. Using the bibliometric approach, it was possible to demonstrate an increase in the amount of research over time whose production follows what is ex pected from the distribution of Lotka’s Law; that is, the majority of authors (71%) published only one article and few authors (0.11%) generated more than ten articles. According to Bradford’s Law, among the 79 different journals identified, the Journal of Dairy Science and the Journal of Animal Science were the most popular for publication. Considering the h index, the authors with the greatest impact were Cardoso FF, Weigel KA, and Mulder HA. The bovine species was the target of most research, with little role for goats and rabbits. On the other hand, a definite trend in moving from traditional approaches to genomic approaches was evidenced. In recent years, it has been possible to identify important scientific partnerships between already consolidated research groups, mainly between researchers from Brazil and the United States. The lack of studies on the topic in certain species reflects the poorly compact structure of their corresponding production systems and genetic improvement programs and represents areas with much to work on and explore in the coming years.