SmartGene for Beef
SmartGene for Beef - Beef CRC - Beef Genetic Technologies
| By rolling two powerful genetic selection tools into one, the Beef CRC is hoping to take genetic progress within the beef industry to a new level that will help breeders overcome some long-standing challenges. Australian cattle breeders using genetic technology are currently using either BREEDPLAN and its system of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), or the GeneSTAR® brand which has an expanding range of DNA markers. But having two competing technologies is less effective than having a single process that draws on the best points of both methods. |
 That's where the collaborative project 'SmartGene for Beef' came in.Funded by the Queensland Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry (DTRDI) 'SmartGene for Beef' aimed to incorporate both technologies into a single genetic tool known as 'marker-assisted EBVs'. Partners in the project include Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), Beef CRC, Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI), Catapult Genetics, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Breedlink in Australia and Cornell University from the United States of America. The new trial tenderness EBVm is the result of the ‘SmartGene for Beef’ Project. Project coordinator Don Nicol, Breedlink said SmartGene for Beef aims to help producers select more efficiently for economically important traits. “The project validated the GeneSTAR™ DNA markers for tenderness and showed they had a significant effect on meat tenderness as recorded by objective measures of shear force,” Mr Nicol said. Tenderness is the first trait to have been targeted as it is most prized attribute among consumers. Previously there has been no combined measure of whether an animal will produce tough or tender meat. Trial tenderness EBVm can help produce genetically superior animals for tenderness. |
| Download the 'SmartGene for Beef' report summary |
| Download the speech by Beef CRC CEO Dr Heather Burrow given to the Australian Registered Cattle Breeders' Association (ARCBA) at the Ekka, Brisbane in August 2008. |
