Animal Science Essay (No minimum word count)

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Livestock breeding is an industry in itself. If you are financially able and can make smart decisions regarding the genetic basis for your herd, you can be very successful. For this question I would like you to write an essay that focuses on heterosis in your herd and why it is important. In this essay you may pick any specie, choose either inbreeding or outbreeding and describe your methods in detail. What is heterosis? Is it important? Why or why not? Please include what traits you are selecting for and why. Please discuss the heritability of that trait, what selection method you implemented and how you will measure your evidence of genetic change. There is no minimum word count, but I expect all questions presented above to be answered completely, thoughtfully and in your own words entirely. Detail is key to this question, do not leave anything out

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Running head: HETEROSIS IN LIVESTOCK BREEDING

Heterosis in Livestock Breeding
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Introduction
Heterosis or high breed vigor can be defined as the amount by which the crossbred
organism exceeds the average of the purebred parents used in the cross in terms of performance
level, productivity and the ability to resist the various environmental challenges. Lauvergne
(2011) states that heterosis is achieved through crossbreeding, an idea that has greatly been
embraced by commercial beef producers due to its ability to enhance the production any herd
while incurring little or no cost. Heterosis has had significant benefits to herd owners more so the
beef producers due to its inexpensive nature and the little time it takes to be implemented.
However, a successful process of heterosis entails one to be able to establish their needs and set
genetic goals that result in herd improvement and increased profits.
There are three kinds of hybrid vigor, individual, maternal and paternal heterosis.
Individual heterosis provides the benefits of the hybridized offspring in relation to the average of
the pedigree while maternal heterosis describes the benefits of the crossed mother over the
average pedigree mothers. Paternal hybrid vigor, on the other hand, provides the benefits that a
crossbred offspring has over the average pure sires. Identification of needs is important before
utilizing the process of hybrid vigor in a herd. Through identification, producers are able to
access their herds and point out the areas within which the cross-breeding program will have a
significant impact on the quality and profitability of the herd. Some of the factors that may be
affecting profitability include climate, animal health, and quality of meat and the growth rate of
calves. Traits of economic significance to beef producers that can be considered during the
process of heterosis include the feed efficiency, weaning weigh, palatability, the ease of calving,
calf survival, and mature size (Thornton, 2010).

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The hybridization of yak with either Bos taurus (yellow cattle) or Bos indicus (zebu)
cattle can be achieved by the use of domestic livestock in natural service or through the artificial
insemination whereby the semen from improved strains such as the Friesian. The high breeds
tend to be less adaptive to the harsh environmental conditions hence need effective feeding and
management than the crossbreed, the yak. Females from the first generation (F1) have got
enhanced breeds of offspring as they tend to achieve sexual maturity earlier than the normal
breeds and are copulated a year earlier as compared to the typical yak. F1 hybrids generally have
got a faster growth rate and increase in mass than the yak and the local hybrids. Larger sizes of
the hybrids ensure that they have greater meat production, the cross-breed of yak females with
improved breeds of cattle leads to the generation of animals that can be slaughtered at a much
younger age with adequate productivity. Milk production and quality are also higher in hybrids
as compared to pure yak, the yield is always increased especially if the sires are from improved
breeds (Theunissen, Scholtz, Neser & MacNeil, 2013).
Selecting a Crossbreeding System
Generally, crossbreeding systems are classified as terminal cross systems of rotational
and composite systems. The terminal cross systems result in offspring that are marked while the
replacement ones are attained elsewhere without consideration the maternal traits of the bull. The
advantage of the terminal cross system is that it maximizes the benefits that have been received
from individual heterosis of the calf and maternal hybrid vigor. Rotational and composite
systems involve the selection of bulls for carcass, maternal traits and growth, the hybridized
replacement livestock result from the herd therefore, the significances realized are from maternal
hybrid vigor of the cows and specific heterosis of the calves (Pekkala, Knott, Kotiaho, Nissinen
& Puurtinen, 2014). The basic traits to consider while selecting a crossing system entails the

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level of hybrid vigor, complementarity the benefit of the component breeds, and consistency of
performance, hereditary antagonisms and whether the process meets the end-product target. The
availability of resources is also an important factor to consider, these include herd size, facilities,
labor and the market potential.
Breed...


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