Molecular genetics is an additional tool which provides information for the detection and exploitation of genes or chromosomal regions with large influence on economic traits. This comes from the development of dense maps of linkage disequilibrium among genetic markers for many livestock species. Although each type of genetic marker has advantages and disadvantages, the only polymorphisms with enough density to meet important requirements for gene mapping are the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2013

The program of genetic improvement of the cupuaçu tree ( Theobroma grandiflorum) needs to tend to the demand of new cultivares, especially of those resistant to the Monilophthora perniciosa fungus, the agent responsible for causing the deformity known as witch's broom disease, and also to increase as much as possible the genetic base of planting material. This project aims to develop new technologies which promote the quick multiplication of selected cultivares, as well as to early select ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2009

Velloziaceae are an angiosperm family that contains the most desiccation-tolerant species (approximately 200 out of 270 species). These species are distributed among five genera: Acanthochlamys, Xerophyta, Barbacenia, Barbaceniopsis and Vellozia. More than 80% of theVelloziaceae species occur in South America, where the greatest morphological diversity is also found. The genus Vellozia comprises both desiccation-tolerant and non-desiccation-tolerant species, offering an excellent model for study

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2016

Brazil leads the research on reproduction of forage plants, but faces as a challenge the low diversity of pastures, mainly formed by apomictic plants. Apomixia - asexual reproduction by seeds - is an area of biotechnology with great potential to optimize the genetic improvement of these species, as it develops genetic materials and procedures for plant cloning by the direct use of seeds. This project proposes the determination of strategies to regulate the genes associated with the mode of repro

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015

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

Brazilian cattle farming has been constantly growing and it currently has extreme importance for agribusiness and the Brazilian economy. Brazil has the world's largest commercial cattle herd, with approximately 210 million head, and is the top beef exporter. To remain competitive in the foreign market and find better-paying niches, Brazil needs to improve the quality and security of the beef while maintaining competitive prices. Among the main causes of cattle production losses, there is the tic

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010

Grapevine production is widespread areas with distinct climate conditions throughout the world. Adaptation to local environmental conditions results from evolutionary processes leading to functional and structural changes to maximize plant performance. Plant adaptation consists in a complex network of environmental sensing and interpretation processes coupled with endogenous environmental mechanisms to control development and generate the phenotypic plasticity required adapt growth and developme

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2011

The identification of economically relevant genes might translate into considerable competitive advantage in markets more and more competitive and globalized. Genes which are associated with plague resistance, productivity increase and organoleptic attributes (which can be experienced by the senses such as color, taste and texture) appreciated by consumers are extremely important to the Brazilian stockbreeding market. There is a considerable number of bioinformatic tools that are available to th

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

There is pressure from society for sustainable production systems, which makes it necessary the establishment of sustainability parameters for the production systems. In this regard, animal nutrition can influence the viability and sustainability of the production system, not only by the herd feeding impact on milk production cost but also by the emission of greenhouse gases and excretion of pollutants. The basic premise of precision nutrition is the knowledge of the animal nutritional requireme

Status: Completed     Start date: Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2012

raditional breeding has generated significant genetic gain over time. However, this strategy falls short of yielding information on the biological processes involved. Additionally, there are great difficulties for the genetic improvement of characteristics which are measured solely in one gender and/or late in the life span of the animal. With the development of DNA chips it became possible maximizing genetic gain by reducing the generation interval and increasing the intensity of selection. The

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010