The objective of this paper is to evaluate the effect of Plant Variety Protection (PVP) on the productive merit ⁄yield increases of US seed varieties. As an example, we use wheat varieties, which are and have been available as both protected and unprotected under PVP from both the public and private sectors. We find evidence that PVP has contributed to the genetic improvement of wheat, using va...

Brazil is the second country on equine embryo world production. Problems related to the application of equine embryos transfer in Brazil are discussed in this article. The main factor related to low efficacy of Equine Embryos Transfer programs consists in the difficulty to induce multiple ovulations Among the most common difficulties and limitations faced in our country, we emphasize the utiliz...

Selection strategies for the genetic improvement of reproductive performance of sheep in Australia are discussed in the context of current and emerging industry practice. The predicted rates of gain in reproductive rate are compared with varying amounts of pedigree and performance records of relatives. The paper also considers the merits of exploiting indirect as well as direct selection, inclu...

Microbial cellulases find applications in various industries and constitute a major group of the industrial enzymes. Recently, there is resurgence in utilization of biomass for fuel production employing cellulases and hence forth in obtaining better yields and novel activities. Improving the economics of such processes will involve cost reduction in cellulase production which may be achieved by...

The aim of this project was to optimise selection indices for efficient lean meat growth. Traditionally, genetic improvement of lean meat growth and feed efficiency has been based on ad libitum feeding. However, selection for lean meat growth and feed conversion ratio under ad libitum feeding has led to a reduction in feed intake in modern genotypes to the extent that feed intake is often not s...

Pig breeders have successfully selected for higher litter size, reduced backfat and improved growth rate (Hermesch, 2006). These outcomes imply that modern sows have higher nutrient demands in comparison to sows of 20 years ago. For example, genetic improvement of litter size has been 0.10 to 0.20 piglets per year in maternal lines. This implies that sows need to eat 50 to 100 grams more feed p...

How Genetic Improvement Is Achieved To obtain genetic improvement, the breeding value of the animals must be estimated from the phenotypes (that which can be observed or measured) of the animals themselves and (or) those of their relatives. The phenotypes may be performance records on the prospective replacement stock, performance records on the relatives of the prospective replacement stock, o...

Drastic genetic changes have occurred in many commercial broiler lines during the last years with regard to performance. This genetic improvement needs a corresponding adjustment of our knowledge about amino acid nutrition in broilers. Additionally, today broiler feed formulators are not only focused on minimising the costs. They also have to take into consideration environmental issues and the...