Effect of myostatin mutant alleles, nutrition and ractopamine on the growth of wether lambs

Abstract

Genotype, nutrition and metabolic modifiers contribute to variation in live weight and the composition of live weight gain in sheep. A naturally occurring myostatin (MSTN) mutant allele has been associated with increased muscle content and reduced fat content in lambs (Kijas et al., 2007). Higher nutrient intake and metabolic modifiers such as β-adrenergic agonists can also improve growth and carcass characteristics (Koomaraie et al., 1991). The aim of this experiment was to investigate interactions between the myostatin allele, nutrition and the β-adrenergic agonist, ractopamine (RAC), on the growth and carcass attributes of lambs.