GENETIC POTENTIAL OF EXOTIC BFBEDS FOR GROWTH AND CARCASS TRAITS* DELL M. ALLEN Kansas State University Breeding animals have been imported to this continent since the earliest explorers landed, first as seed-stock and later after numbers had built up, to improve existing breeding stock. Importation of "improved" beef animals in the early to mid-19th century established our "traditional" British beef breeds. In this century, the first exotic imported was the Zebu which developed into our present Brahman breed. Charolais cattle were imported in the 1930's. These two breeds have contributed significantly to our current beef production system. In 1965, the Canadian government completed a quarantine station on Grosse Isle in the St. Lawrence river, opening the way for direct impor- tation of breeding stock from Europe into Canada, and then into the U.S. This flow of foreign breeds into North America has continued steadily since then. The first Simmental entered Canada in 1967, the first Limousin in 1968. Many others have followed, including the Blond d'Aquitaine, Maine-Anjou, Normandy, Salers and Tarentaise from France; the Chianina, Marchigiana and Romagnola from Italy; the South Devon, Lincoln Red, Welsh Black, Beef Friesian, Luing and Sussex from the British Isles; the Gelbvieh and Pinzgauer frDm Germany; and the Murray Grey from Australia. Koch's North American Beef Sire Directory (Koch, 1974) lists 42 sire breeds available to the beef producer. In addition to imported trexotics," which have received the most publicity, the Barzona, BeefhLaster, Brahman, Brangus, Hays Converter, Ranger, Red Angus, Red Brangus and Santa Gertrudis have developed on this continent. The rapid introduction of new germ plasm is a significant challenge to the beef industry. We must constantly re-evaluate production methods, sort through the tremendous genetic pool suddenly available and select the most efficient and profitable combinations for beef production. Carpenter (1973) stated that traits of high heritability (most carcass traits ) show limited heterotic response in crossbreeding indi- cating heterosis for carcass traits should be relatively low. This agrees with Cundiff (1970) who stated that the importance of using Charolais or similar breeds in a crossbreeding program was to utilize the combination of desirable traits of different breeds more than expecting advantages due heterosis. * Presented at the 27th Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference of the American Meat Science Association, 1974. 57 Comparisons in this paper will be primarily between European breeds and, when possible, to the breeds familiar to this country. Other literature compares traditional breeds to the Charolais, Brahman and crosses of these breeds. All European breed names are used as spelled according to Mason (1569) or Koch's North American Beef Sire Directory (Koch, 1974). Reviews by Mason (1971), Warwick (1973), and Berg (1971), agree that the European breed traits of greatest benefit in our beef production system are: (1)milk producing ability; (2) rapid growth; and (3) carcass leanness. European Comparisons Milk Production. Annual milk production records of several European breeds on 4-year-old and older cows is present in figure 1 (Germany, 1970; Vissac, 1970) as quoted by Mason (1971). Direct comparisons are invalid since data are from cows lactating in different countries and under different management systems. Nevertheless, they give some idea of the milk producing abilities of several European breeds in their home countries. According to literature reviewed by Dawson, Cook and Knapp (1960)Hereford and Angus cows produce 682 to 1364 kg milk annually. Milk yields are obviously related to weaning weight, but yields like those in figwe 1 are undesirable under the present U.S. commrcial beef production systems. Restricting milk yields during the first one to one-and-a-half months lactation with a gradual increase as the calf gets large enough to make efficient use of additional milk should be an interesting research area for physiologists. Rate of nowth. Growth comparisons between European breeds, based on European research are even more difficult than comparing milk yields. The yearling weights of several French breeds shown in figure 2 are from an on-the-farm weighing program and under many different management programs (Faucon, 1970; Vissac, 1970, as quoted by Mason, 1971). At a year of age, the Limousin, Charolais and Maine-Anjou were heaviest, Garonne and Brown Alpine intermediate, and the Normandy and Friesian smallest. Figure 3 shows two Swiss and one German trial in which animals were fed to slaughter (Reichen, 1969). In the first Swiss trial, the Swiss Simmentals reached heavier slaughter weights and gained more per day (1.05 vs. 0.99 kg) than the Swiss Brown. The Swiss Brown apparently matures younger as they were slaughtered in this trial an average of 37 days younger than Simmentals. The second Swiss trial (figure 3) canpares the crosses of three French and two British breeds on Simmentals (Reichen, 1566, 1967, 1968; Schneeberger, 1967) as presented by Mason (1971). Animals were slaughtered according to finish. !be three French breed crosses were heavier at finishing than the two English breeds crossed. 59 0 8 a u(8 s a- Yc)l 60 The German trial (figure 3) compares the slaughter weights of three German breeds fed to 500 days of age. Simmentals easily surpassed Gelbvieh and Black Pied in this trial (Averdunk, 1969) as quoted by Mason (1971). Figure 4 shows three Italian trials comparing slaughter weights of several Italian breeds with each other and with Charolais and Limousins. Of three breeds fed 180 days in trial 1, Chianina ended with the heaviest slaughter weight and Charolais lightest. However, Charolais were lightest when placed on test and gained slightly more per day on significantly less feed per unit of gain (Curto and Olivetti, 1964; Curto et al., 1965a,b) as reviewed by Mason (1971). In trial 2, the Charolais gained more on test with slightly less feed per unit of gain resulting in heavier slaughter weights than the Marche in trial 2 (Salerno _Iet a1,') 1968, 1969; Romita --et a1., 1968) as quoted by Mason (1971). Trial 3, the two Italian breeds were heavier at slaughter and gained faster and more efficiently than the Limousins (Manfredini et al., 1969, reviewed by Mason, 1971). Carcass comparisons. Direct caparisons of breeds using European data is difficult since data collection and cutting procedures are not standardized. Table 1 shows carcass infomtion from trials conducted by Reichen (1966, 1967 and and Schneeberger (1967) reviewed by Mason (1971) in which three1968) French and two English breeds were crossed on Swiss Simmentals. The three French crosses had higher carcass yields with a greater percentage of muscle than the English crosses. The Angus crosses had the greatest percent carcass fat while the Galloway crosses had the greatest percent bone. In this trial, degree of muscling and size had more influence on dressing percentage than degree of fatness. Table 2 shows two carcass comparison studies: Limousin vs . Gelbvieh and Normandy vs. German Simmental (Schmitter et al., 1963, 1964, presented by Mason, 1971). Llmousins had the largest longissimus muscle area, greatest muscle to bone ratio, largest percentage muscle, and highest dressing percent of the breeds examined. Gelbvieh and German Simmental were similar in all carcass traits, and the Normandy had the least desirable carcasses. In an Italian trial (table 3) Charolais had greater total muscle area and less percent fat area at the seventh rib and a higher dressing percentage than Chianina or Red Pied cattle (Curto and Olivetti, 1964; Curto et al., 1965a,b; reviewed by Mason, 1971). North American Comparisons The most comprehensive North American study of new breeds has been carried out by the USDA Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska, in cooperation with Kansas State University. This project, called the Germ Plasm Evaluation Study (GPE), is designed to characterize breeds representing different biological types. Data pregented here are from the GPE Program Progress Report No. 1, USDA-MARC (1974) and includes animals tested during the program's first three years. 61 TABLE 1. CARCASS TRAITS OF FRENCH AND BRITISH BREED CROSSES ON SWISS SIMMENTAIS1,2 Charolais Limousin Garonne Angus Galloway s1. wt., kg 498 472 480 378 4 10 Dressing $ 54 03 54 *5 54.6 5107 51.8 Carcass camposition $ fat 3 =8 4.2 3 -9 5 -9 4 03 $ muscle 78 *5 78 -1 78 -5 77 -3 77 97 $ bone 17.8 17.6 17 05 16.8 18.1 Muscle/bone Rat io 4.4 4.4 4 -5 4.6 4 -3 Reichen, 1966, 1967, 1968. 2 Schneeberger, 1967. 62 TABLE 2. CARCASS COMPARISONS OF LIMOUSIN AND GELBVIM BULLS AND OF NORMANDY AND GERMAN SIMMENTAL BULLS German Limousin Gelbvieh Normandy Simmental s1. wt., kg. 440 500 490 467 Dressing 65.2 60.3 59 *6 59 0-7 Carcass compos it ion k fat 6.6 7 -3 $ muscle 76.1 72.2 $ bone 14 .O 16.4 Muscle/bone Ratio 5 04 4.4 4.1 4.4 ’$ high griced cuts 48 *3 46.2 46.5 48.3 (cm LEA ) 86.2 63.2 61.i 64 99 TABIX 3. CARCASS TRAIT COMPAFUSONS--ITALUN TmAL Charolais Chianina s1. wt., kg. 536 5 56 552 Dressing $ 58.4 57 -7 54 *7 cm2 Muscle, 7th rib 239 195 Fat, 7th rib 44 41 198 cm2 52 $ Fat area, 7th rib 15.6 18.4 20.7 64 Cycle 1, phase 1 of the GPE program involved three calf -crops (1970, and breeding (artificially) Hereford, Angus, Jersey, South Devon,1971 Limousin,1972 Simmental and Charolais bulls to Hereford and Angus CCIWS. Pre-weaning performances. Table 4 shows Charolais and Simmental- sired calves had heavier weaning weights (adjusted to 200 days) and higher average daily gains than did calves sired by bulls of other breeds.
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