Project AP19675064 – Development of technologies for the conservation and sustainable use of the gene pool of the Alatau cattle breed using breeding and molecular genetic methods

Title: IRN AP19675064 "Development of technologies for the conservation and sustainable use of the gene pool of the Alatau cattle breed using breeding and molecular genetic methods."

Applicant: Kazakh Research Institute of Animal Husbandry and Feed Production, LLP

Principal Investigator: T.N. Karymsakov, Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor

Implementation period: 2023–2025

Relevance

Over the past 20 years, semen from foreign-bred bulls has been used in the breeding of the Alatau cattle breed, which has had a negative impact on the preservation of the domestic gene pool. Therefore, the project aims to preserve and rationally utilize the gene pool of the endangered Alatau breed, which was originally developed in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

As a result, there are currently virtually no purebred Alatau cattle in the republic, due to the Alatau breed being genetically absorbed by the American-bred Swiss breed.

In this regard, to revive this valuable breed, it is necessary to develop a breeding program that will preserve the genotypes of Alatau cattle through backcrossing using semen from purebred Alatau bulls, which is stored in limited quantities in the semen banks of breeding centers.

Objective

The aim of the project is to develop a national strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of the endangered Alatau cattle breed through the application of breeding, technological, and molecular genetic methods.

Expected results for 2023

A zootechnical analysis of the reproductive performance of purebred and crossbred Alatau cattle will be conducted by genealogical lines, which will make it possible to determine the origin of the animals and select both crossbred and purebred individuals. Study design: control and experimental groups.

Based on the sources analyzed, the growth dynamics of the animals in the experimental and control groups will be examined in terms of live weight. Biometric analysis of the data was performed.

Biological samples will be collected from animals in the control and experimental groups. The final report will take the form of a biological sample collection log.

The previously performed insemination of the breeding stock in the experimental and control groups will be monitored.

Research findings

  1. A zootechnical analysis of the reproductive performance of the breeding stock of purebred and crossbred Alatau cattle was conducted by genealogical lines, which made it possible to determine the origin of the animals and select both crossbred and purebred individuals. Thus, five main genealogical lines were identified in the herd of KT "Khilnichenko and K": Concentrate, Leyrd, Gibraltar, Ransom, and Meridian. The Concentrate and Leyrd lines are the most extensive. These lines include 450 and 452 cows, respectively. The number of offspring obtained from purebred Alatau bulls of Kyrgyz selection was 23 head. Based on an analysis of this herd, an experimental group of cows descended from purebred Alatau bulls (n=23) and a control group of cows descended from Swiss bulls (n=23) were formed.
  2. Based on the analyzed data, the growth dynamics of the experimental and control groups of cows were studied in terms of live weight. The analysis showed that, on average, the offspring of Alatau bulls exceeded their counterparts sired by Swiss bulls by 17.4 kg at 6 months, by 20.9 kg at 12 months, and by 19.7 kg at 18 months in terms of live weight. It was established that the average daily live weight gain of the offspring of Alatau bulls from birth to 18 months was 618 g, which exceeded that of their counterparts in the control group by 39 g. Biometric analysis of the collected data was performed. It was also found that the average age at first insemination for animals sired by Alatau bulls was 542 days, whereas the offspring of Swiss bulls were first inseminated at 601 days of age, with average live weights of 364 and 378 kg, respectively.
  3. Biological samples were collected from animals in the control and experimental groups, representing three breeds: purebred Alatau; purebred Swiss; and Alatau-Swiss crossbreeds. A total of 166 biological samples were collected from purebred Alatau animals, 105 from purebred Swiss animals, and 318 from crossbreeds. A logbook of biological sample collection was prepared.
  4. The results of previous inseminations in the experimental and control groups were monitored. The experimental group of cows (n=23) was successfully inseminated between March 2021 and May 2022. The control group of cows was inseminated from March 2021 to September 2022. This year, insemination in the control and experimental groups of cows was monitored. Thus, in the first quarter, 5 cows in the experimental group were inseminated; in the second, 7; in the third, no inseminations were performed; and in the fourth quarter, a total of 11 cows were inseminated. For the control group, inseminations were mainly performed in the fourth quarter of this year.

Expected results for 2024

Feed consumption will be determined for the experimental and control groups. Feed analysis will be conducted, and diets will be formulated. Based on the analyzed data, the growth dynamics of the animals in the experimental and control groups will be studied in terms of live weight. Biometric analysis of the collected data will be performed.

The ease of calving in the control and experimental groups will be assessed, and the live weights of newborn calves will be compared.

The milk production of cows in the experimental and control groups will be studied during the first 100 days and until the end of lactation (305 days), and the collected data will be analyzed using biometric methods. A chemical analysis of the milk from the experimental animals in both groups will be conducted.

The live weight of the new generation of calves born to cows in the experimental and control groups will be recorded by age group (at birth and at 6 months).

The genomic structure of crossbred and purebred animals will be determined, and the expected and observed heterozygosity, as well as the occurrence of random inbreeding, will be established for each group.

Research findings

  1. Feed intake was measured for the experimental and control groups, feed analysis was conducted, and diets were formulated. With identical diets, feed intake per head in the control group was slightly higher than in the experimental group by 0.3 kg, therefore, in percentage terms, feed intake in the control group was 94.57%, and in the experimental group 93.83%, with a difference of 0.74%. Feed analysis showed that lactating cows are fully supplied with energy, crude, digestible, and digestible protein. At the same time, the diet has a deficiency of indigestible protein amounting to 166 g, or 19.47%. There is also a certain deficiency of amino acids. Taking into account the identified shortcomings in the feeding system, optimization and development of diets for lactating and dry cows were carried out.
  2. The ease of calving was assessed in animals from the control and experimental groups. Based on the results of monitoring the calving process in animals from the experimental and control groups, it was found that 82.6% of cows in the experimental group calved spontaneously. Meanwhile, spontaneous calving in the control group was 77.8%. Weighing results showed no significant difference in the live birth weights of calves born to cows in the experimental and control groups.
  3. The milk production of cows in the experimental and control groups was studied during the first 100 days and until the end of lactation (305 days). The results showed that, over 100 days of lactation, the animals in the control group produced 28 kg more milk than those in the experimental group. The difference in milk fat content was 0.17% in favor of the Swiss-breed daughters, while the protein content was 0.03% higher in the daughters of Alatau bulls. Over the entire lactation period, the control group exceeded its counterparts in milk yield by 78 kg.
  4. The live weight of the new generation of calves born to cows in the experimental and control groups was determined by age (at birth and at 6 months). It was found that there was no significant difference between the average live weights of the new generation of bull calves at birth and at 6 months. At the same time, the coefficient of variation (Cv) of the average live weight of the bull calves showed higher variability compared to the control group.
  5. The genomic structure of crossbred and purebred animals was determined; expected and observed heterozygosity were calculated for each group, and the occurrence of random inbreeding was assessed at four representative farms. The highest number of A nucleotides was observed at the "Mamed" Agricultural Cooperative and the "Khilnichenko and K" Agricultural Enterprise. The highest number of T nucleotides was observed at the Mamed Farm and the "Kakpatas Korday" LLC. The C and G nucleotide counts varied across the studied populations, but these differences were not significant when analyzed by farm. The data obtained allowed us to establish that the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.350±0.183 to 0.381±0.139. Inbreeding coefficient values varied among populations from -0.005 to -0.033. The minimum values of the inbreeding coefficient were negative in all populations and are explained by the higher observed heterozygosity. Random inbreeding coefficients calculated based on SNP genotyping showed that an excess of heterozygosity is observed in all populations, therefore the population is not panmictic.

Research team:

  • T.N. Karymsakov, Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor (ORCID — 0000-0003-4398-8840, Scopus Author ID — 57200070313, H-index — 2).
  • Aibyn Adephanovich Torekhanov, Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, Professor (ORCID — 0000-0002-3237-3683, Scopus Author ID — 58101243500, H-index — 1).
  • Mikhail Vladimirovich Tamarovsky, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences (ORCID — 0000-0001-7773-0800).
  • Daliabaev, Yermek Kurmanbaevich (ORCID — https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2712-7445).
  • Aigul Kalyrbaevna Tadzhieva, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5621-4700, H-index – 1).
  • Sailubek Pernebek Zhenisbekuly, Master of Agricultural Sciences (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2712-7445).
  • Bekzhan Zhanatbekovich Sarsakov (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7852-1402).