Increasing the productive potential of large and small cattle breed resources in the South of Russia based on modern breeding methods

Abstract

The results of the genetic characteristics research of large and small cattle populations grown in the Southern Russia are stated. Breed-specific DNA patterns have been identified in three of the most common cattle breeds of meat productivity in arid conditions. The milk productivity of Holstein cows of different breeding lines has been studied. It was found that increasing the frequency of animals of Vis Back Ideal and Reflection Sovering lines in the parent pairs could be able to increase the level of milk productivity of offspring and improve the quality indicators of dairy raw materials. The adaptive abilities and milk productivity of imported foreign Holstein cows depending on their origin were estimated. In comparison with Australian and Danish Holstein cows, American and German analogues have a higher level of milk productivity. However Australian and Danish animals have a more flexible adaptive capacity. As a result of the comparative study of the economic and biological characteristics of two generations of Aberdeen-Angus cattle (parental foreign generation, and the first generation - obtained under breeding conditions in Southern Russia), tendencies to increase productive values are revealed. The features of the meat productivity formation in Kalmyk steers different exterior and constitutional types are investigated. It was found that the Kalmyk steers of the tall body type have a higher meat productivity compared with their analogues of medium and compact body types. However, the beef of compact steers has a higher fat percentage, more attractive taste characteristics, culinary and technological indices. The features of polymorphism of CAST, GH, GDF9, CLPG, FABP4 and MC4R genes in populations of sheep of different breeds grown in the Republic of Kalmykia, Volgograd and Rostov regions, Kabardino-Balkaria Republic were also studied. As a promising method of early diagnosis of presence economically useful traits in sheep during ontogenesis, the effectiveness of DNA analysis in young lambs and the further selection of animals with desirable genotypes according to these genes were justified.