Estimating the heritability of nitrogen and carbon isotopes in the tail hair of beef cattle.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The natural abundance of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotopes in animal tissues are used to estimate an animal's efficiency in nitrogen utilization, and their feed conversion efficiency, especially in tropical grazing systems with prolonged protein restriction. It is postulated that selection for improving these two characteristics (δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C) would assist the optimisation of the adaptation in ever-changing environments, particularly in response to climate change. The aim of this study was to determine the heritability of δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C in the tail hair of tropically adapted beef cattle to validate their inclusion in genetic breeding programs.

Methods

In total, 492 steers from two breeds, B

SUBMITTER: Moradi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10763070 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature