The Rural Voice, 2000-10, Page 13Scrap Book
Sheep researchers
use ultrasound to
measure traits
Selecting sheep with superior
carcass traits will soon be easier,
faster and less expensive thanks to
real-time ultrasound technology
say University of Guelph
researchers.
The technology — already
widely used in the cattle and swine
breeding industries to select sires
with the optimal lean meat -to -fat
ratio — is being adapted for
Ontario's growing sheep industry.
Prof. Jim Wilton of the Centre for
Genetic Improvement of Live-
stock, worked with graduate
student Tamara Fernandes to
evaluate the technology's effect-
iveness in the sheep industry. They
conducted trials on 30 sheep farms
across the province to measure the
carcass traits of live Iambs — of
similar age — using real-time
ultrasound. Ultimately the
researchers hope to give the
Ontario sheep industry an edge
over competitors from New
Zealand and Australia.
"The technology is simple to
use and the cost of sending a
technician to the farm is very
reasonable," said Wilton.
About 35 per cent of a sheep's
fat content is heritable. That makes
it important to select sires with
higher lean muscle -to -fat ratios
that will pass on these carcass
traits to their progeny. Tradition-
ally, selecting optimal sires depends
on post -slaughter carcass trait
measurements of progeny from
different sires, but that takes time.
Using ultrasound to measure the
fat content of young animals is
non-invasive and less expensive
than post -slaughter measurements.
As part of a validity check on
the technology, the researchers are
working with the Ontario Lamb
Improvement Breeding Strategies
Program to compare the accuracy
of ultrasound measurements to
post -slaughter measures.0
— Source: Centre for Genetic
Improvement of Livestock
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