Parentage testing is an important tool in farm animals for genetically determining the accuracy of pedigree information. The objective of the current study was to implication of multiplexing 14 microsatellite markers for routine parentage testings. The twenty-four lambs were crossbred of Ghazel × Baluchi, Ghazel × Baluchi × Merinos, and Baluchi × Moghani × Merinos breeds. The genomic DNA was ex...

Litter size is one of the most important economical traits in sheep breeding industry. In addition to minor genes, litter size is under the influence of major genes. Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15), a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) superfamily, which is specifically expressed in oocytes, plays a dramatic role in sheep prolificacy. Reported mutations in this gene ca...

The present study was carried out to estimate (co)variance components and genetic parameters for some productivity traits of Baluchi ewes. The data were collected during a 31 year period (1984-2014) at the experimental breeding station of Baluchi sheep, which is located in north-east of Mashhad, Iran. The analysis was based on 14030 records of lambs and 4371 records of ewes. Investigated traits...

litter size is one of the most important economical traits in sheep breeding industry. in addition to minor genes, litter size is under the influence of major genes. bone morphogenetic protein 15 (bmp-15), a member of the transforming growth factor beta (tgf-ß) superfamily, which is specifically expressed in oocytes, plays a dramatic role in sheep prolificacy. reported mutations in this gene ca...

Agricultural sector accounts for about 1/3 of the Iranian GDP and 1/4 of the country workforce. More than 90% of the Iranian food requirements are produced in the country. Animal agriculture covers over 40% of the agricultural activities. More than 57% of the available animal units in the country are sheep and goats. Desertification, deforestation, water shortage, erosion, low efficiency and ou...