Two-Generation Crossbreeding of White-Headed Suffolk and Small-Tailed Han Sheep: Heterosis, Sustainable Production Traits, and Morphological Features in Central China

Animals, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 15(7), С. 1071 - 1071

Опубликована: Апрель 7, 2025

To address the bottleneck in meat production efficiency within China's mutton sheep industry, this study established a two-generation crossbreeding program between WHS rams and STH ewes. Hybrid offspring (F1 BC1) were evaluated for growth performance, slaughter traits, quality, reproductive performance. The F1 generation exhibited significant improvements over 6-month body weight (52.3 kg, +27.3%), dressing percentage (56.1%, +6.3%), feed ratio (FER) of 4.6 (p < 0.05). BC1 shows mixed state paternal maternal characteristics further enhanced these achieving 55.2 kg (+5.4% vs. F1), 58.3%, an optimized gain-to-feed (G:F) 4.2 (-8.7%). Meat quality parameters, including shear force (32.5 N 41.6 STH) intramuscular fat content (4.5% 3.8% STH), demonstrated superior tenderness marbling. Despite decline lambing rate (F1: 178%; BC1: 142%), hybrids combined dam's adaptability with sire's forming novel germplasm sustainable production. This provides replicable model balancing genetic improvement ecological sustainability central China.

Язык: Английский

Elevational trends of root traits for alpine grassland are weakly dependent on grazing-related degradation

Soil and Tillage Research, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 252, С. 106596 - 106596

Опубликована: Апрель 18, 2025

Язык: Английский