Animal Improvement In Agriculture | Meaning, Aims, Methods

By /

Hello, you are welcome to this class on Animal improvement in agriculture.

Table Of Contents

  1. The meaning of animal improvement.
  2. The aims of animal improvement.
  3. And methods of animal improvement.
  4. Advantages of animal improvement.
  5. Disadvantages.
  6. Revision Questions

Meaning Of Animal Improvement

Animal improvement in agriculture is define as the ways of developing and breeding only those animals that shows the greatest merit under consideration such as good feeding, conversion, growth rate, disease resistance and egg size. It also involves the upgrading of existing (local) breeds as a result of some desirable characteristics which they possess.

AIMS OF ANIMAL IMPROVEMENT IN AGRICULTURE

Process or Methods of Animal Improvement in Agriculture:

There are three process or methods of animal improvement in agriculture. These are: introduction, selection and breeding.

Introduction: Introduction is the bringing into the farm or a country, high quality breeds of livestock with a high productive capacity and other good desirable characteristics from another Farm or country. Before the introduction of such animal from another country (exotic breeds) one must be sure that such breeds possesses higher quality characteristics that the local breeds. Different breeds of farm animals exist and this include the local breeds, imported breeds and the cross breeds.

The local breeds are usually small animals, slow maturing, poor producers, but adapted to local environment and resistant to many diseases. The exotic, imported breeds are big animals, early maturing, good producers but may not adapt to local environment and not be resistant to many diseases. To obtain a balance, the exotic breeds are used to mate the local breed to obtain cross breeds which will now combine all the good qualities of exotic and local breeds.

ADVANTAGES OF INTRODUCTION in animal improvement in agriculture

  • Breeds which are not originally present in the home country are introduced.
  • It enhances greater productivity.
  • It leads to the absence of pests and diseases.
  • Breeds may perform better in terms of quality and quantity, if they are able to adapt to local environment.

DISADVANTAGES OF INTRODUCTION

  • It may introduce new diseases to the area
  • It may introduce new pests to the area
  • It may have the problem of adaptation to the new area.
  • It may not perform maximally.

SELECTION METHODS of Animal improvement in agriculture: SELECTION is the process of picking or selecting from a mixed population those animals with breeding value as parents. Selection is undertaken to maximize genetic gain. It helps to select animals that are capable of transmitting their genetic attribute to their offspring. Animals with desirable characteristics like good meat production, egg laying, etc are selected. Selection is group into two main classes.

  1. Natural selection: This is the ability of individual animals to weather through unfavorable environmental forces to survive and reproduce. Those that are unable to survive die off.
  2. Artificial selection: This selection is done by man using his intelligence and influence to select and mate animals in order to increase the number of animals. There are four types of artificial selection, mass selection, progeny selection, family selection and pedigree selection.

ADVANTAGES OF SELECTION

  • It ensures that only the best naturally available animals is selected.
  • Animals with desirable characteristics are selected.
  • selection reduce the spread of diseases.
  • It also reduced the spread of parasite associated with breeding stock.
  • Animals from best breed are bred for distribution

DISADVANTAGES OF SELECTION

  • Selection is tedious and time consuming.
  • It is very costly in terms of time and money.
  • It requires expertise which may not be readily available.
  • It brings about elimination or exclusion of some desirable traits of some parents stock.
  • No new desirable characteristics are introduced.

BREEDING METHODS of Animal improvement in agriculture: Breeding involves the development of animals by transferring inherited qualities from parents to offspring. This is achieved through mating.

TYPES OF BREEDING

There are four types of breeding, inbreeding, line breeding, cross breeding and outbreeding.

ADVANTAGES OF BREEDING

  • The crossing or mating of superior animals from two different breeds produces an offspring that is superior to the average of either parents. This is called hybrid vigour or heterosis (crossbreeding).
  • Offspring grows more rapidly and is more economical to rear (cross breeding).
  • It results in the production of pure breeds or pure lines (inbreeding).
  • Offspring produced can withstand variations within the environment (cross breeding).
  • It helps to concentrate and preserve specific qualities in an animal (in-breeding).

DISADVANTAGES OF BREEDING

  • It may result in in-breeding depression, i.e, a reduction in Vigour and performance (in-breeding)
  • It can also result in drop in production such as make, egg, meat, slow growth rate, loss of fertility (in-breeding)
  • Result in poor resistance to diseases (in-breeding)

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION METHODS of Animal improvement in agriculture: This is the introduction of semen into the reproductive tract of the female by a method other than natural mating. The semen containing spermatozoa are carefully handled, diluted and stored in freezer at a temperature of -196°C in liquid nitrogen until it is required for use.

For artificial insemination to succeed, the semen which has been stored is introduced into the female reproductive tract during breeding circle (the heat period) so that fertilizer will occur. Artificial insemination is only possible in in animals whose heat period is easily observable because spermatozoa are only viable for few hours after introduction into the female reproductive tracts.

ADVANTAGES OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

  • It is easier unless expensive than natural mating since the Farmer is save the expense of maintaining a head of male animals.
  • It is easier and cheaper to import the semen of exotic breed rather than the male animals themselves.
  • It makes it possible to use the best male animals to a large extent.
  • It is possible to service many female of different sizes leading to the production of many offspring.
  • It brings about reduction in the transmission of venereal and infectious diseases.
  • It allows for the testing of offspring of a particular individual within relatively short period of time.
  • The semen of a good bull can still be used long after the death of the bull.

DISADVANTAGES OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

  • It requires expertise is which may not be readily available
  • Difficulties in detecting heat in female animals may limit the success of artificial insemination.
  • In-breeding effect may show up if only few bulls are used in particular environment.
  • If the handling procedure is inadequate, (i.e, improper timing of breeding in the oestrus cycle), the pregnancy rate may be very low.

Revision Questions

  1. What is the meaning of animal improvement?
  2. (a) Briefly Explain two Aims of animal improvement (b) Outline two advantages of animal improvement
  3. State and explain two methods of animal improvement.
  4. State the Disadvantages of artificial insemination.
  5. What are the advantages of introduction?
Scroll to Top