Principles of Selecting and Mating Farm Animals |  |
Chapter Summary| Quantitative inheritance, which involves many pairs of genes, affects most economic traits in farm animals. Phenotypic variation is the raw material with which the animal breeder must work to improve livestock and poultry. Methods of estimating the proportion of total phenotypic variation due to heredity have been developed, and from this knowledge, principles of improvement of livestock through breeding have evolved.
Tools the animal breeder has available to use in molding the raw material are selection, inbreeding, linebreeding, line-crossing, and crossbreeding. Proper use of these tools has greatly increased the efficiency of livestock production. More systematic use of these tools in the future should add to the income of the livestock producer.
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education