The impact of clean fleece weight and bodyweight selection in Merinos on meat traits in the progeny

Title
The impact of clean fleece weight and bodyweight selection in Merinos on meat traits in the progeny
Publication Date
2008
Author(s)
Refshauge, Peter Gordon
Hatcher, S
Hinch, Geoffrey
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4731-865X
Email: ghinch@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:ghinch
Nielsen, S
Hopkins, David L
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Place of publication
Australia
DOI
10.1071/EA07169
UNE publication id
une:2760
Abstract
The carcasses of 136 Merino wether lambs from a single bloodline were studied to determine the impact of phenotypic selection for clean fleece weight (CFW) and bodyweight (BWT) on meat quality characteristics. The lambs were the progeny of sires and dams that were selected for high or low CFW and high or low BWT using hogget phenotypic data, where the dams were managed at 10 or 15 dry sheep equivalent/ha during gestation and from marking to weaning. Maternal stocking rate was found to have no significant effect on any meat traits, except to reduce fatness in high BWT lambs. Phenotypic BWT selection increased hot carcass weight and decreased fatness, lowered temperature at pH 6.0, and showed considerable variation in LDH activity and the ratio of LDH to isocitrate dehydrogenase. It is clear from this study that the stocking rate of the dam during gestation and lactation, and her selection on the basis of CFW or BWT phenotype had no large negative impact on the meat traits of her male progeny.
Link
Citation
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 48(8), p. 1076-1084
ISSN
1446-5574
0816-1089
1836-5787
1836-0939
Start page
1076
End page
1084

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