Search results for " Sheep."
showing 10 items of 96 documents
Trend in dairy sheep BLG genotype found with repeatability test-day model.
2007
A total of 19.207 test-days, collected on 4 farms from 1999-2006 and belonging to 1109 Valle del Belice dairy sheep were analyzed with a repeatability model. After strict outlier analysis 17.747 records were retained. Animals were reared in an extensive system resulting in large environmental influences. However, significant genetic variation was detected in production traits (milk production mean=1336 stdg=93 g/d, fat+protein 167 stdg=12 g/d). Heritability was only 3% while the interaction year by month of test-day explained 27% of the variation. A protein and DNA analysis program was initiated in order to facilitate selection to maintain these flocks under these conditions. In total 427 a…
Parentage verification of Valle del Belice dairy sheep using microsatellite markers
2008
The objectives of the present work were to evaluate polymorphism of microsatellite markers, develop a parentage test and estimate misidentification rate on Valle del Belice Sicilian dairy sheep breed. Polymorphism was evaluated from 184 randomly selected animals from 5 different flocks. A total of 21 microsatellite markers including CSRD247, ILST011, McM527, APO010, INRA132, DU194351, DU323541, FCB128, McM16, OarCP49, ILST087, DU223896, ILST005, TCRVB06, SPS113A, INRA063A, SPS115, DU206192, DU216028, BM827 and McM54 were amplified using three PCR reactions and fragment lengths determined in a single multiplex electrophoresis run. Markers were easily genotyped, very polymorphic and in Hardy-…
Selection signatures of fat tail in sheep
2017
The investigation of the genes with a role in lipid metabolism enjoy considerable scientific and commercial interest because of the strong correlations between fat deposition and the risk of cardiovascular disease. The fat tail characteristic of sheep is the adaptive response to harsh environment, and beyond representing a valuable energy reserve for facing future climate changes provides clues for elucidating the physiology of fat deposition. Studies on various sheep populations detected fat-tail signatures on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 13. Fat-tailed sheep represent about 25% of the world’s sheep population, and the genes with a role in this phenotype are likely not the same for every …
Application of molecular markers to investigate genetic diversity in Sicilian livestock
2014
La diversità genetica delle specie e razze di interesse zootecnico, rappresenta un’importante risorsa in tutti i sistemi di allevamento . Per lo studio della diversità genetica, nel corso dei decenni sono stati sviluppati diversi metodi che si basano su informazioni del pedigree o su dati molecolari (microsatelliti e SNPs, Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms). Con l’aumento della disponibilità di marcatori molecolari per la maggior parte delle specie di interesse zootecnico, e con lo sviluppo di sofisticate tecniche analitiche, sta crescendo la capacità di caratterizzare la variabilità genetica delle razze. Inoltre, ad oggi, poche sono le informazioni sulla diversità genetica delle razze e dell…
Determination of milk production losses in Valle del Belice sheep following experimental infection of Mycoplasma agalactiae
2015
Abstract Economic losses due to contagious agalactia (CA) in small ruminant herds are mainly associated with significant reductions in or complete loss of dairy production, mortality, abortions, ill thrift, early culling and costs of control. With the aim of estimating milk production losses caused by CA, 46 primiparous lactating Valle del Belice ewes were monitored after experimental infection. Sixty days after lambing, two ewes were each experimentally infected with a single dose of 10 8 CFU/ml of a live Mycoplasma agalactiae strain in both teats by intracanalicular route. Three days after inoculation, the infection was spread manually by the milkers dipping their hands in the pooled mil…
Interaction between stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase polymorphism and feeding system in affecting the fatty acid profile of sheep cheese
2021
Stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) catalyses the synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids, by introducing a cis double bond at the delta 9–10 position. The study investigated the effects of a polymorphism at the ovine SCD gene and its interaction with the inclusion of fresh forage in the diet on cheese fatty acid (FA) composition in Valle del Belice ewes. A region of 527 bp of the ovine SCD gene including the partial sequence of the promoter, the complete sequence of the 5’ UTR and exon 1 and the partial sequence of intron 1 were analyzed in order to identify the g.87C > A SNP located in the promoter region. A feeding trial was carried out using 16 Valle del Belice ewes selected on the…
L’impiego alimentare di orzo germinato nella produzione di latte ovino biologico
2011
Food use of barley sprouts in organic sheep milk production. Hydroponic forage, used when fresh forage is scarce, represents a good alternative feed for milking ruminants, also in organic farming systems, where it can reduce the forage/concentrate ratio. This study evaluated the effect of barley sprouts (BS) in the diet on nutrients utilization and milk production from organic ewes. Eighteen ewes were divided into 3 groups and fed with 3 diets. Animals was fed with hay ad libitum and supplemented by: 0.6 kg/d of concentrate and 4 kg/d of BS (B100); 0.9 kg/d of concentrate and 2 kg/d of BS (B50); 1.2 kg/d of concentrate (C). Supplied and residual feeds and milk yield were recorded and sample…
ORGANIC SHEEP MILK PRODUCTION AND QUALITY BY USE OF LEGUME GRAINS AS DIETARY SUPPLEMENT
2013
The aim of this study was to evaluate the sheep milk yield and quality as affecting by concentrate dietary supplements prepared on farm by mixing locally produced barley and legume grains, used as alternative to a commercial feed. A total of twelve milking ewes, averaging 92±9 days in milking and 56±6 kg of live weight, were housed in individual pens and divided homogeneously into four groups. Each group was fed ad libitum with a grass-legume hay and received, according to a 4x4 Latin square design with periods comprised of 21 days, one of the following isonitrogenous concentrates: 500 g chickpea and 300 g barley (CP); 450 g faba bean and 350 g barley (FB); 550 g pea and 250 g barley (PE); …
Ancient DNA polymorphisms analysis to investigate scrapie susceptibility in Sicilian sheep remains from medieval archaeological sites
2014
Encephalopathy in sheep was at first described in Ireland in 1732 and was called “scrapie“ because the animals tend to tear their hair. Historically it seems to be the result of an incestuous union as breeding practice in old farms. In Sicily the animal bones found in association with the human skeletal remains from the tombs or city-sites, comprised a broad range of domestic. Usually, species included in the collected bones are domestic animals commonly eaten as sheep or goats, cattle, pigs, chickens and a small partridge. In this contest, the assemblage and the species identification is often difficult. Based on DNA barcoding, all the investigated bones were confirmed as belonging to the …
Genetic selection for reduced Somatic Cell Counts in sheep milk: A review
2015
Mastitis is an inflammation of the udder, mainly caused by bacteria, and leads to economic loss, due to discarded milk, reduced milk production, reduced milk quality and increased health costs in both dairy sheep and cattle. Selecting for increased genetic resistance to mastitis can be done directly or indirectly, with the indirect selection corresponding to a prediction of the bacteriological status of the udder based on traits related to the infection. The most frequently used indirect method is currently milk somatic cell count (SCC) or somatic cell score (SCS). This review reports the state of the art relating to the genetic basis of mastitis resistance in sheep and explores the opportu…