POSSIBILITIES OF APPLICATION OF FEED EFFICIENCY AND REPRODUCTION TRAITS IN DAIRY CATTLE BREEDING OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to analyze genetic and breeding peculiarities of feed efficiency and reproductive traits of dairy cows on the basis of world-wide and own experience as well as to ground possibilities of organization breeding process in this direction based on experience of countries comparable with Ukraine according to number of breeding (recorded)cows.It was shown that residual feed intake defined as difference between amounts of actually consumed dry matter and its requirement is the most accurate indicator of efficiency from the viewpoint of physiological potential of dairy cows, because it characterizes variability of moving (behavioral) activity, protein metabolism, feed digestibility and heat emission in the process of fermentation and may be considered as indicator of rate of metabolic processes. Selection for residual feed intake may be reliable way to increase efficiency of milk production by means of reducing feed costs. On the basis of own investigations significantinfluence of the factor genetic group” on daily milk yield, somatic cell count and feed conversion was proved. The overview of reproductive traits which are used nowadays in dairy cattle breeding was given. Results of estimation of genetic parameters of feed efficiency and reproduction traits on the basis of own researches and world experience were presented. Based on obtained genetic parameters possible changes of calving interval of dairy cows as a result of selection for milk yield only were predicted. Estimates of genetic correlations between milk production and reproductive traits considerably exceeded corresponding estimates of phenotypic correlations, what proves the existence of negative genetic relationship between milk production and reproduction of cows. Taking into account experience of such countries as Norway and Israel the possibility of successful improvement of these traits by means of selection even in conditions of limited number of recorded cows was proved. Norwegian breeding program «HD Genomics» should be considered as effective model of organization breeding process in Ukraine as this program may be partly realized Ukraine through joint projects

Keywords

• dairy cattle
• feed efficiency
• reproduction
• qtl
• snp
• selection
• breeding organization