Bulls May Be Selected On Blood Analysis

Press, Volume C, Issue 29560, 8 July 1961, Page 6

Bulls May Be Selected On Blood Analysis

It may be possible to assess the ability of a dairy bull to. produce high producing daughters by a blood analysis rather than waiting for the records of crops of daughters.

In Great Britain it has been found that the relative amounts of six different components of the blood of cattle seem to be genetically controlled and that the pattern of these in bulls has a definite relationship with the milk yield of cows which are produced when these bulls are used for breeding It has also been claimed that this blood pattern is also correlated with the fertility of these animals. At the Plant Chemistry Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at Palmerston North, Dr. E. Moustafa and Dr. J. Lyttelton, are working

in conjunction with Mr E. D. Fielden, of the New Zealand Dairy Board, in analysing samples of blood from bulls which have been used for artificial breeding. An apparatus has been developed which is capable of analysing eight blood samples simultaneously and it could readily be duplicated to increase analyses to Id or 24 a day. Dr. A. T. Johns, director of the plant chemistry division, said last week that as yet sufficient results had not been obtained to determine whether findings in Britain would be applicable in New Zealand, but if they were successful in confirming British results it was possible that bulls of high dairy merit could be selected on a blood analysis without waiting for the production records of crops of daughters.