Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T10:33:57.870Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Maternal and genetic influences on follicle and fleece development in Lincoln and Welsh Mountain sheep—a study involving egg transfer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

G. Wiener  and
J. Slee
G. Wiener
Affiliation:
A.R.C. Animal Breeding Research Organisation, Edinburgh 9
J. Slee
Affiliation:
A.R.C. Animal Breeding Research Organisation, Edinburgh 9
Get access

Summary

By mean of egg transfer, lambs of a large breed of sheep (Lincoln) were born out of dams of a small breed (Welsh Mountain) and vice versa. One breed was approximately twice the weight of the other. The effects of this contrast in maternal environment upon the development of the wool follicles and upon subsequent wool production are described in this paper. These effects are compared with differences between singles and twins.

Data were obtained from skin and wool samples taken at birth and at 84 days post-partum.

Genetic differences were the largest single source of variation for most of the component characters of the skin and fleece.

Strong maternal influences were in evidence. These were shown to have affected both Lincoln and Welsh lambs in a general (average) way and also to have had different, specific effects on each genotype as shown by genotype-environment interactions. Differences in maternal environment following egg transfer, clearly affected follicle density, primary/secondary follicle ratio, fibre medullation, fibre diameter and fibre length. Wool production was not affected, apparently because reduced follicle density was associated with increased fibre length.

In the comparison between singles and twins the latter appeared to suffer a post-natal rather than a pre-natal restriction of secondary follicle development, and in the absence of extra fibre growth there was reduced wool production at 84 days.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , October 1965 , pp. 333 - 345
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1965

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Carter, H. B., & Clarke, W. H., 1957. The hair follicle group and skin follicle population of Australian Merino sheep. Aust. J. agric. Res., 8: 9–119.Google Scholar
Dickinson, A. G., Hancock, J. L., Hovell, G. J. R., Taylor, St. C. S., & Wiener, G., 1962. The size of lambs at birth—a study involving egg transfer. Anim. Prod., 4: 64–79.Google Scholar
Doney, J. M., & Smith, W. F., 1964. Modification of fleece development in Blackface sheep by variation in pre- and post-natal nutrition. Anim. Prod., 6: 155–167.Google Scholar
Fraser, A. S., 1951. Competition between skin follicles in sheep. Nature (Lond.), 167: 202–203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraser, A. S., 1952. Growth of wool fibres in sheep. Aust. J. agric. Res., 3: 419–434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hancock, J. L., & Hovell, G. J. R., 1961. Transfer of sheep ova. J. Reprod. Fertil., 2: 295–306.Google Scholar
Henderson, A. E., 1953. Fleece development and wool growth on the Romney lamb. J. agric. Sci., 43: 12–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryder, M. L., 1955. The effect of nutritional plane on wool follicle development in Cheviot lambs. J. Text. Inst., 46: T565–575.Google Scholar
Schinckel, P. G., 1953. Follicle development in the Australian Merino. Nature (Lond.), 171: 310–311.Google Scholar
Schinckel, P. G., 1957. The relationship between follicle number and wool production. Aust. J. agric. Res., 8: 512–523.Google Scholar
Schinckel, P. G., & Short, B. F., 1961. The influence of nutritional level during prenatal and early post-natal life on adult fleece and body characters. Aust. J. agric. Res., 12: 176–202.Google Scholar
Short, B. F., 1955a. Development of the secondary follicle population in sheep. Aust. J. agric. Res., 6: 62–67.Google Scholar
Short, B. F., 1955b. Developmental modification of fleece structure by adverse maternal nutrition. Aust. J. agric. Res., 6: 863–872.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wildman, A. B., 1958. Food intake level in some Romney Marsh ewes and follicle group development in their progeny. J. agric. Sci., 51: 307–316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar