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

The identification of animals with more efficiency in feed utilization is one of the alternatives to overcome the challenges as increased production costs, increased consumer awareness regarding food safety, animal welfare and environmental impacts of the agriculture and livestock. As feeding expenses account for the main cost of livestock activity, differences among animals in converting diet to beef and milk are of great relevance. Animals that use feed more efficiently need to consume less to

Status: Completed     Start date: Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2017

The productivity indices of dairy farming in Brazil are low when compared to countries with technologically advanced dairy farming. Productivity can be significantly improved through the use of animals with higher genetic value for milk production and appropriate management techniques. Worldwide, the Holstein breed is predominant for milk production, being also the most used in Brazil, both as a pure breed and in crosses, as a contribution to the development of the Girolando breed. In this proje

Status: Completed     Start date: Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2007

Development programs aimed at increasing production, improve milk quality and assist genetic selection of livestock are strategic initiatives to modernize the dairy chain in Brazil. Farmers, mostly family-scale, need special guidance to access technological information and training programs to increase production and improve productivity of the dairy herd. In addition, action plans and strategies to improve milk quality are essential in order to promote their inclusion in the formal dairy market

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2013

Dairy farming is one of the most important economic activities in the agribusiness of the State of Minas Gerais, which is the largest milk producer in Brazil (28% of production). The dairy production chain is one of the most important in the state, employing labor, generating revenues of around R $ 2.4 billion/year and guaranteeing income for a large part of the population. However, most properties have low productivity due to several factors related to the herd, such as health, genetic potentia

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

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

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