Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: U. Czarnik Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Genetics, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland Author-Name: M. Galiński Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Genetics, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland Author-Name: T. Zabolewicz Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Genetics, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland Author-Name: Ch.S. Pareek Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Genetics, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland Title: Study of SNP 775C>T polymorphism within the bovine ITGB2 gene in Polish Black-and-White cattle and in local breeds of cattle Abstract: The present study addresses the characteristics of the frequency and segregation of alleles determining the SNP 775C>T polymorphism within the bovine ITGB2 gene in the Black-and-White cattle population as well as in two endemic breeds of Polish Red and Polish White-Back cattle population qualified to the international programme of genetic resource diversity preservation in farm animals. The SNP 775C>T polymorphism revealed three amplified restriction fragments of 31 bp, 77 bp and 108 bp, forming three genotypes CC (31 bp, 77 bp), CT (31 bp, 77 bp, 108 bp) and TT (108 bp). A group of randomly selected Black-and-White cows was characterized by a negligible percentage of homozygous genotypes TT (5.1%) and by a prevailing percentage of heterozygous CT (60.1%) and homozygous CC (34.8%). In contrast, the between breeds analysis revealed that cows involved in the programme of genetic diversity preservation had a high prevalence of homozygotes CC (Polish Red - 55.9%, Polish White-Back - 60.0%), and a low percentage of homozygotes TT (Polish Red - 8.8%, Polish White-Back - 5.7%) in comparison with the Black-and-White cattle population. The degree of homozygosity in groups of Polish White-Back cows (65.7%) and Polish Red cows (64.7%) was remarkably higher than that of the Black-and-White cows (39.9%). Keywords: BLAD carriers, point mutation, lethal genes, SNP 775 C>, T, polymorphism Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 57-61 Volume: 52 Issue: 3 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2356-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2356-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200703-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:52:y:2007:i:3:id:2356-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: A. Rekiel Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science, Warsaw Agricultural University, Warsaw, Poland Author-Name: K. Czumińska Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Warsaw Agricultural University, Warsaw, Poland Author-Name: J. Więcek Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science, Warsaw Agricultural University, Warsaw, Poland Author-Name: W. Bielecki Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Warsaw Agricultural University, Warsaw, Poland Author-Name: J. Kulisiewicz Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science, Warsaw Agricultural University, Warsaw, Poland Title: Functional state of mammary gland of sows dried off by different techniques Abstract: Sows were dried off by a traditional method (control - C, restricted feeding before, during and after weaning) or by a modified one (experimental - E, intensive feeding before, during and after weaning). On day 5-6 after weaning of the 3 Keywords: sows, drying off technique, mammary gland, functional state, DNA index, nucleus volume Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 62-69 Volume: 52 Issue: 3 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2358-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2358-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200703-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:52:y:2007:i:3:id:2358-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: S. Dikmen Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey Author-Name: I.I. Turkmen Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey Author-Name: H. Ustuner Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey Author-Name: F. Alpay Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey Author-Name: F. Balci Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey Author-Name: M. Petek Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey Author-Name: M. Ogan Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey Title: Effect of weaning system on lamb growth and commercial milk production of Awassi dairy sheep Abstract: To determine the effect of weaning system on Awassi sheep milk production and lamb growth, 68 Awassi ewes and their lambs (n = 104) were assigned to one of the following treatment groups a) after 3 days from birth (MIX), ewes were separated from their lambs during the evening for 15 h and milked once daily in the morning, and their lambs were allowed to suckle for 9 h during the day or b) ewes were not milked and suckled by their lambs (DY60) during the first 60 days of lactation. Ewes and their lambs were assigned to the groups according to ewe's age, parturition date, sex of the lamb and birth type. All lambs were weaned at 60 days of age and the ewes were milked twice daily. Milk yield was recorded fortnightly and milk fat composition was recorded monthly. The birth weight of lambs was recorded in the first 2 hours and they were weighed fortnightly until 240 days of age. Average lactation lengths (including suckling and milking) in MIX and DY60 group were similar (171.21 ± 5.40 and 168.36 ± 4.87 days, respectively). Differences between MIX and DY60 group in commercial milk yield (103.25 ± 7.93 and 63.59 ± 5.41 kg, respectively) and milk fat yield (5.88 ± 0.64 and 3.62 ± 0.31 kg, respectively) were highly significant (P < 0.001). Growth performance of lambs was similar in both groups (P > 0.05), however, male lambs were heavier and grew faster than female lambs until weaning (P < 0.05) and 90 days of age (P < 0.001). The effect of birth type at 210 days of age for the female lambs in MIX group was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) and the mean weight of single born female lambs was 40.39 ± 1.27 kg, and 41.09 ± 1.22 kg for twin born female lambs. The effects of ewe's age for female lambs in MIX and DY60 group and birth type for the lambs in DY60 group were insignificant (P > 0.05). These results show that Awassi lambs can be successfully reared in MIX suckling system and ewes produce more commercial milk than in the traditional rearing system (DY60), which offers a potential increase in economic return for Awassi sheep producers. Keywords: Awassi sheep, lamb growth, milk yield, restricted suckling Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 70-76 Volume: 52 Issue: 3 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2357-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2357-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200703-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:52:y:2007:i:3:id:2357-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: C. Tölü Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey Author-Name: T. Savaş Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey Author-Name: A. Pala Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey Author-Name: H. Thomsen Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Research Centre Foulum, Denmark Title: Effects of goat social rank on kid gender Abstract: Mechanisms of gender ratio in progeny are complex and the fine details are still largely unknown, even in mammals. Though the 50% ratio of males and females is expected, various factors have been shown to be effective in diverting the ratio from the expected. In this study, dominance index, effects of sire, age of dam, birth type and year of birth on the gender ratio of Turkish Saanen goat kids were investigated in a full model. The analysis indicated that dominance index (DI) of the dam had a significant influence on the gender ratio of kids (P = 0.036). Certain sires tended to father female descendants repeatedly and the dams with high dominance index gave birth to male kids. Effects of sire on kid gender approached significance (P = 0.094). Age of dam, year and birth type were insignificant. Keywords: goat, gender ratio, sire effect, age, birth typ Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 77-82 Volume: 52 Issue: 3 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2235-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2235-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200703-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:52:y:2007:i:3:id:2235-CJAS