G.P. Legoshin
All-Russian Research institute of Animal Husbandry Named after Academy member L.K. Ernst, Russia, Moscow region, Podolsk district, Dubrovitsy
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Summary. Purpose of this study was to indicate the possibilities to improve the productive and reproductive efficiency of beef cattle husbandry. Materials which were used were primary information’s from large-scale operations in Russia, the best stud farms of Angus cattle in Australia and USA, annuals of All-Russian Research Institute for Animal Breeding on beef cattle performance with total inventory more than 120 thousand head. The main methods of research were analytical review and comparative evaluation. Implementation of innovatory housing without capital barns, new management and intensive grazing of cattle allows, in comparison with traditional technologies, to run 150-200 head per one operator instead of 50-70 head, to have higher performance by 15-20 percent and survival rate ≥ 98 percent. Necessaries of improvement of productive performance and use of breeding cattle are based on low level of these traits. In accordance with our finding, in 2012 year the average weaning weight of animals of aberdine-angus breed (the largest breed population of beef cattle in Russia) was 233.4 kg in comparison with 289.7 kg in Australia and 296.7 kg in USA. Number of young bulls and heifers realized for breeding purposes per 100 cows was 20.1 head only in Russia, 51.1 in Australia and 57.9 head in USA. Implementation of modern methods of genetic evaluations includes the selection by 17-18 traits in comparison with 4-6, method BLUP, accuracy and genomic selection. It is important to increase the use of artificial insemination from 1-2 to up 10-15 percent and application of modern reproductive technologies. Among them is new method of artificial insemination of females based on new short protocols of estrus synchronization and insemination at fixed time without heat detection. Method of in vitro fertilization of oocytes and embryo transfer was introduced at Russian beef farms (effectiveness up to 50 percent) and has grate perspective. Application of the gender selected semen is under question and requires more investigations because at the current time the cost one pregnancy is twice more than one with use of normal semen.
Keywords: beef cattle, productive and reproductive efficiency; cattle housing; genetic evaluation of animals, applied reproductive technologies, gene markers.