Correlations between growth and wool quality traits of genetically divergent Australian lambs in response to canola or flaxseed oil supplementation

Abstract

The correlations between growth and wool traits in response to canola and flaxseed oil supplementation were evaluated in Australian prime lambs. Sixty dual-purpose prime lambs including purebred Merino and crossbred lambs were allocated to one of five treatments of lucerne hay basal diet supplemented with isocaloric and isonitrogenous wheat-based pellets. Treatments were: no oil inclusion (Control); 2.5% canola oil; 5% canola oil; 2.5% flaxseed oil and 5% flaxseed oil, with lamb groups balanced by breed and gender. Each lamb was daily supplemented with 1kg of pellets and had free access to lucerne hay and water throughout the 7-week feeding trial, after a 3-week adaptation. Individual animal basal and supplementary pellet feed intakes were recorded daily, while body conformation traits, body condition scores and liveweights were measured on days 0, 21, 35 and 49. The lambs were dye-banded on the mid-side and shorn before commencing the feeding trial and mid-side wool samples were collected from the same dye-banded area of each lamb at the end of the experiment. Correlations between wool quality traits and lamb performance were non-significant (P>0.05). Oil supplementation had no detrimental effect on lamb growth and wool quality traits (P > 0.05). Gender significantly affected wither height gain and fibre diameter. There were significant interactions between oil supplementation and lamb breed on chest girth. The correlations between clean fleece yield (CFY) and other wool quality traits were moderate ranging from 0.29 to 0.55. Moderate to high correlations between fibre diameter (FD) and other wool quality traits were detected (0.46–0.99) with the strongest relationship between FD and wool spinning fineness (SF). The relationship between CFY and wool comfort factor (CF) were positive, while negative relationships between CFY and the others were observed. A combination of 5% oil supplementation and genetics is an effective and strategic management tool for enhancing feed efficiency and growth performance without negative effects on wool quality in dual-purpose lamb production. This is a good outcome for dual-purpose sheep farmers. It essentially means the absorbed nutrients in supplemented lambs yielded good growth performance without any detrimental impact on wool quality; a win-win case of nutrient partitioning into the synthesis of muscle and wool without compromising either traits.

Nutritional Enhancement of Health Beneficial Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Muscle, Liver, Kidney, and Heart of Tattykeel Australian White MARGRA Lambs Fed Pellets Fortified with Omega-3 Oil in a Feedlot System

“…A prospective cohort study of men in the USA [45] and a cross-sectional survey of Korean adults [46] both reinforced the need to enhance a healthier composition of red meat among consumers to minimize the dietary risks of coronary heart disease, cardiometabolic, and cancer mortality burdens. Previous studies [22,[47][48][49][50][51] had established…”

“…Fatty acid composition influences the nutritive value and organoleptic traits of meat including tenderness, flavor, and juiciness [20]. The fatty acid content of meat can be affected by the animal production system [21,22], breed or genotype [23,24], gender [25], age at slaughter [26], liveweight [27], level of fatness [20], type of muscle and feed. In lamb [28], cattle, swine, and poultry [29], it has been suggested that dietary manipulation can be utilized to improve the fatty acid content and nutritional value of meat that more closely meets nutritional guidelines.…”

Genome-wide comparative analyses reveal selection signatures underlying adaptation and production in Tibetan and Poll Dorset sheep

“…BZ is an ancient breed that is raised for wool and meat production. Notablely, BZ has undergone long-term selection and is characterized by excellent wool quality (long, uniform and elastic fiber) and white coats, which was mainly raised to provide wool for producing the Tibetan-style blanket 6 . TST has been introduced to crossbred with local breeds to improve the meat-yield performance in China.…”

Effect of Rearing Systems on Growth Performance and Wool Characteristics of Rahmani Sheep Lambs

“…Moreover, Abdel Aal (2018) reported that the almost central staple point of break and the higher elongation rate may be attributed to the fibre diameter and higher crimps frequency recorded. However, moderate to high correlations between fibre diameter and other wool quality traits were detected (Malau-Aduli et al, 2019).…”