Despite the growth in the production and productivity rates of dairy farming in Brazil, the globalization of the economy, the fluctuations in domestic and foreign food prices, the changing feeding habits of the population, with the growing interest in functional foods as well as foods from agroecological or organic production systems, coupled with the strong demand for genetically improved and adapted animals, are relevant factors that have challenged research and development agencies in proposi

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

The growing competitiveness of the dairy agribusiness increasingly requires improved skills on the part of farmers. The improvement of the productive potential of dairy animals requires more efficient and balanced feeding in order to provide a real increase in production. Whether in the beef or dairy livestock segment, the Brazilian exploratory model combines herd pasture feeding with roughage supplementation in the period of food shortage, as well as energy supplementation. In such a model, the

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

Dairy cattle breeds of European origin stand out for their high productive and reproductive efficiency in temperate climates, but they usually do not present this efficiency in tropical climate, in conditions such as high temperature and humidity, high incidence of endo and ectoparasites and low level of management. On the contrary, Zebu breeds in selection programs to increase milk production are naturally adapted to such conditions, that is, they produce well in less sophisticated managerial p

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2007

The breeding programs of Dairy Gir, Guzerat, Red Sindhi and Girolando breeds are conducted at Embrapa Dairy Cattle in work integrated with the respective breeders' associations, as follows: ABCGIL (Brazilian Association of Dairy Gir Breeders), CBMG2/ACGB (Brazilian Center of Guzerat Genetic Breeding / Association of Guzerat and Girolando Breeders Brazil), ABCSindi (Brazilian Association of Red Sindhi Breeders) and Girolando Association. It also includes the participation of the following institu

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2014

The Red Sindhi breed is an important genetic resource to be preserved and used in tropical conditions. Some studies have shown small effective population size and high coefficient of inbreeding. These aspects show increased risks of loss of genetic diversity, impairing possible genetic gains to be achieved with selection, and even increasing the risk of future extinction of the breed. The following partner institutions worked on the project: Embrapa Dairy Cattle, Embrapa Tropical Semi-Arid, Emep

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2012

With 200 million head, Brazil is the largest world producer of cattle. However, national beef cattle farming is characterized by low productivity and a large variation in beef quality. This second aspect can be justified by the large Zebu fraction found in the genetic base of our herds. Zebu breeds normally present less soft beef with lower marbling when compared with taurine breeds, making the appraisal of this meat difficult in international markets. Therefore, the development of genotypes tha

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010

Recent evidence from observational studies and controlled clinical trials indicates that milk fat, although predominantly saturated, has neutral or positive effects on cardiometabolic health. Such benefits have been attributed to the complex and unique chemical nature of milk fat, which contains several compounds potentially beneficial to health, such as butyric acid (C4:0), vaccenic acid ( trans-11 C18:1), rumenic acid ( cis--9, trans-11 CLA), oleic acid ( cis-9 C18 ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2016

The embryo transfer technique (ET) began to be used in Brazil in the 70's, based initially on in vivo embryo production (by conventional superovulation). The potential of the technique as a tool in the multiplication of superior genotypes or in breeding programs resulted in its rapid assimilation by the productive sector, with a consequent increase of its use in the following decades. In recent years, the development of the in vitro embryo production technology has revolutionized the national ma

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2009

The successful dairy breeding programs of the Zebu Gyr and Guzera breeds, conducted in close and consolidated partnership with the Gyr and Guzera Breeders' Associations, counted over the years on the indispensable collaboration of crossbred herds for carrying out the progeny and milk control tests. These herds are characterized by pasture-based milk production, with low inputs and technologies, and the practice of crossbreeding. The crosses practiced, however, are the result of unplanned mating,

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2017

Heat along with high humidity is one of the causes of impaired milk production and fertility of cattle, especially in the summer or in tropical and semitropical regions. Such problems can be aggravated with the prospect of global warming. In the hottest regions of Brazil there is a preference for crossbred Holstein (H) X zebu (Z), mainly Gir (G) cattle that form the Girolando synthetic breed whose composition is mainly ⅝ GxH. Girolando animals are more tolerant to heat than breeds of European or

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015