This study was undertaken at the Ruminant’s Research Station, Office of Agricultural Research/Ministry of Agriculture (20 km west of Baghdad). 102 ewes were used in this study from 1/1/2020- 1/10/2021 to study prediction of lambs growth from milk production and its composition in Awassi sheep and description of growth cure of non–linear function. Simple regression was used to examine relationship between growth traits such as gain, weaning weight, weight at 6 months of age and milk production and its composition. Regression of weaning weight was positive and highly significant (P≤ 0.01) with daily milk yield (DMY) and significant (P≤0.05) with dam’s milk protein percentage (MPP), Analysis of regression also showed significant positive increasing (p≤ 0.05) in lambs' weight at six months of age with increasing of DMY and MPP, where coefficient of regression (CR) amount to 5.006 kg/kg and 0.663 kg/% respectively. Results showed that CR of gain from birth to weaning was highly significant with dam’s DMY, whereas was significant with MPP. Both DMY and MPP had significant and positive relationship with gain between birth weight and weight at six months, where amount of CR was 4.859 kg/kg and 0.619 kg/% with determination coefficient (R2) amount to 0.31 and 0.19 sequentially. Also, positive and significant regression was noticed for gain from birth to 6 months with MPP and milk Solids Not-Fat(SNF) percentages. Exponential functions also were used according to analysis of non-linear regression with calculated R2 for growth in Awassi lambs. Results showed that relationship which derives from regression weight at 6 months on weight at weaning according to equation WT6^=a+b WWT2 is considered the best because increasing value of R2 which was 0.69. we conclude, possibility prediction in lamb’s growth from birth to six months depend on DMY and MPP, also dependence non-linear functions gave an important results to describe growth curves between weaning to 6 months.

Seventy two adult lactating Iraqi buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) were chosen randomly from two regions of Iraq, Baghdad (Abu Ghraib Ruminants Researches Station in the west of Baghdad, Iraq) and AL-Muthanna province (Alhilal township), during 2018/2019 lactating season. The effect of location and parity in the body, udder conformation and milk production traits were studied. The body conformation, body weight, udder measurements, and milk production traits were significant to high significant effected by both the location and the parity except there is the non-significant effect of location on body height at the shoulder, front teat diameter, rear teat length and rear teat diameter. Similarly non-significant effect of parity was observed on front teat diameter, rear teat length, distance between front and rear teats, fat%, lactose%, and SNF%.

This study was carried out in two locations (the field part), first in the Ruminants Researches Station (20 km west of Baghdad), and the second in the Aldawar research station located in Anbar governorate (Up to 35 km west of Ramadi city), which included 87 animals from Awassi sheep. As for the laboratory part, it took place in two locations, the first in the Animal Breeding and Improvement Laboratory of the Ruminant Research Department, and the second in the Scientific Progress Laboratory/Baghdad. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between polymorphism of mtDNA-COI gene and growth traits, milk yield, and lactation period in Awassi sheep. DNA was extracted from the blood and the polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique was used to amplify the COI gene. DNA sequencing analysis. The results showed that there are 6 SNPs in a COI gene, there polymorphism for this gene also appeared (TT, CC). The 1st site (5566), CC polymorphism achieved the highest percentages (39.09) compared with TT polymorphism, with an allelic frequency of 0.57. While it appeared in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th sites the polymorphism TT and CC with percentages (79.31 and 20.69)%, (58.42 and 41.38)%, (20.69 and 79.31), (79.31 and 20.69)%, and with the allele frequency (0.79 and 0.21), (0.59 and 0.41), (0.21 and 0.79), (0.79 and 0.21) respectively. there were significant differences (P<0.05) of COI polymorphism in birth weight, weaning weight and gain from birth to weaning as the TT recorded the highest average for both traits (3.82, 25.39 and 21.57 kg respectively). The mean of daily milk yield for TT polymorphism was 330.21 gm/day, which significant (P<0.05) the CC polymorphism, no significant between COI polymorphism and lactation period. It was possible to conclude from this study the possibility of COI gene polymorphism in the development of genetic improvement strategies and breeding programs that achieved the best productive performance sheep.

The study was conducted in the sheep farm of the Al-Fayhaa station in the Jableh sub-district / Al-Musaib project (55 km south of Baghdad), as well as the Biotechnology Laboratory in the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad for the period from 5/1/2022 to 30/10/2022. With the aim of detecting, the polymorphism in the FASN gene and its relationship to growth and wool production, as well as the Polymorphism distribution and allele frequency in 52 Awassi sheep and its lambs, three polymorphism appeared in this variant (G>A SNP), which are GG, GA, and AA, and their percentage were 63.46, 32.69 and 3.85%, and the differences between them were highly significant (P≤0.01) with a frequency of 0.70 and 0.30 for alleles G and A, respectively. The results of the statistical analysis showed that the body weight of lambs at birth was significantly (P≤0.05) affected by the difference in the FASN gene polymorphism (G>A SNP), and reached a maximum for lambs produced from mothers with a heterozygous genotype GA (4.22 kg) and then the mutant genotype AA (4.21 kg), The rate of weight gain between birth and weaning was also significantly affected by this variant of the FASN gene for wild-type GG (14.68 kg). It appeared that there was a significant variation (P≤0.05) in the fiber diameter of wool according to the FASN gene polymorphism (G>A SNP). We can conclude by studying the genetic features in the FASN gene that they can be adopted in developing strategies for genetic improvement of sheep, and the application of the study to a larger sample and several sites and extracting the interaction between two SNPs would give more accurate results and determine the best method for managing and improving sheep flocks.

اجريت هذة الدراسة على فروج اللحم التجاري نوع Hubbard للكشف عن الطفرةT3199C  في الانترون الرابع لجين هرمون النمو لمعرفة تأثيرها على الأداء الانتاجي والفسلجي. استخدم للكشف عن الطفرة تفاعل البلمرة المتسلسل وتقنية تعدد مظاهر اطوال القطع المقيدة (PCR-RFLP), واظهرت النتائج وجود مظهريين وراثيين بعد التقطيع بانزيم التقييدMsp1 المظهر الوراثي البريTT)) والمظهر الوراثي الهجين (TC), اذ وجدت فروقات عالية المعنوية( p<0.01)  بين المظهرين الوراثيين اذ تفوق المظهر الوراثيTT على المظهر الوراثي TC وكذلك تفوق الاليلT على الاليلC, ولم نجد تأثير معنوي للطفرة للمظهرين الوراثيين في جميع الصفات الانتاجية المدروسة لفروج اللحم, بينما كان هناك فروفات معنوية(p<0.05)  بين المظهرين الوراثيين في تركيز البروتين الكلي لمصل الدم بعمر14 يوما, وكذلك في تركيز البروتين الكلي والكلوكوز لمصل الدم بعمر 42 يوما.