Female reproduction old
Female reproduction old - Beef CRC - Beef Genetic Technologies
 Mr Jim WalkleyProgram Manager, Female reprodutive performance (08) 8303 7780 or walkley.jim@saugov.sa.gov.au |
| Increasing the quality of Australian beef isn't possible without having the best cattle to produce it. But does increasing the quality of beef have a negative effect on the reproductive traits of the herd? This is the question scientists at the Beef CRC are trying to answer, given that reproduction is a key driver of profitability. Scientists are trying to identify the gene markers which control age of puberty and post-partum anoestrus in tropically adapted cattle. |
| Scientists are not only studying the female attributes, but are also looking at the influences of the male traits such as sperm morphology. In other words, are there traits in bulls can help predict the resproductive performance of the females. Identifying new traits that are related to fertility of a bulls progeny would allow opportunities to increase rates of genetic improvement for all traits and significantly increase the impact of using genetically superior bulls in commercial herds in northern Australia. Researchers will develop a selection index based on a number of physical traits (e.g. scrotal circumference), blood traits (e.g. LH, inhibin, IGF-1) and semen traits (e.g. sperm morphology) which are predictive, in early life, of both male and female fertility. |
