NSW DPI’s Dr Alex Safari says 14 production characteristics were analysed and there were no major antagonisms between breeding for wool and meat in Merinos.

A massive number crunching exercise has for the first time provided Australia’s Merino sheep breeders with the confidence they need to accurately breed sheep for several production traits.

Over 110,000 sheep records, collected over 30 years of research, were analysed.

Fourteen production characteristics were analysed and a key finding confirms that there are no major antagonisms between breeding for wool and meat in Merinos.

This means breeders should be able to improve both characteristics using an appropriate selection index.

The study, led by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) research scientists, combined data from seven Australian Merino research flocks across Australia including three owned by DPI.

NSW DPI’s Dr Alex Safari said that until this study was undertaken, accurate estimates of genetic correlations among most production traits were not available.

There was little information about the correlations between genes for:

• wool, with carcase, reproduction and feed intake
• growth, with carcase, reproduction and feed intake and
• within carcase traits.

"Earlier work showed there were huge gaps in information about the impact of breeding for some specific groups of traits," Dr Safari said.

"The good news is that we can now develop more complex and diverse breeding objectives with increased certainty of outcome.

"This is particularly important when it comes to breeding Merinos for both meat and wool in the current very difficult production and economic environment."

Sheep Genetics Australia (SGA) is already incorporating the genetic correlations relating to growth, reproduction and wool into their genetic evaluation systems.

Dr Safari said relationships are now being investigated:

• between carcase and meat quality traits and all other production traits
• within carcase and meat quality traits and
• between feed intake and other production traits.

The research was undertaken in conjunction with the Australian Sheep Co-operative Research Centre (CRC), CSIRO, University of New England and South Australian and West Australian state government departments.

Findings from this study were reported recently in international scientific journals. 

Contact Dr Alex Safari, Orange, (02) 6391 3954, alex.safari@dpi.nsw.gov.au