São Paulo – After years of study, researchers from the São Paulo State University (Unesp) in the city of Araçatuba, in the interior of the state, succeeded in sequencing the genetic code of Nelore cattle. From now on, it will be possible for cattle farmers to buy breeders or their semen with the desired characteristics. Theoretically, the work will also enable the creation of what the researchers call the “superbull”: an animal that combines the best features of the Nelore and Hereford breeds, the latter of which has already had its DNA mapped out.
To do the genetic sequencing, the group coordinated by the Unesp Veterinary Medicine School professor José Fernando Garcia set out searching for an endogamic animal, i.e. one that were the result of the breeding of animals originated from the same family and therefore had a higher degree of genetic equality.
They extracted a blood sample from the ox, which was dubbed “Futuro” (Future, in Portuguese), and undertook the sequencing of its genes at the University of Maryland, in the United States. Now, armed with the information, the researchers can compare the characteristics of the DNA with those of other animals, and thus select those that match the demands of cattle farmers.
The information about the animals whose DNA has been mapped will be stored in a chip. The information will include the quality of the beef, milk productivity rate and even the ideal age for slaughter. All that will be feasible on the first day of life of the calf.
Prior to the genetic mapping, the animal had to be born, grow and breed before the qualities that it passed on could be determined. Oxen with tender meat, cows with high milk production or highly heat- and parasite-resistant animals will not, however, be “bred” in laboratory nor serially multiplied.
“It will be possible to compare the genetic characteristics of animals that represent the elite of national breeding cattle, which we estimate to comprise 4 million heads of cattle. Then, cattle growers will be able to buy the bull with the desired traits, or else buy its semen,” says Garcia. He believes that the speed at which the animals with the best features are found is going to increase. “I believe that in the next 2 or 3 years we will see another quality of Nelore cattle in national herds,” says Garcia.
The Nelore breed was chosen to have its DNA mapped because it represents the highest amount of heads of cattle in Brazilian territory. There are approximately 200 million heads of cattle in the country. According to the Brazilian Zebu Breeders Association (ABCZ), 80% of the herd is comprised of the Zebu subspecies. Of those, 80% are Nelore or have Nelore genes. They account for roughly 128 million heads of cattle in Brazil.
At a further stage of the project, Garcia intends to create what he calls the “superbull” by crossbreeding the best specimens of Nelore and Hereford, the latter being a variety of the Dexter cattle subspecies, which adapts well to mild climates and had its DNA mapped in 2009.
Theoretically, the “superbull” combines the best qualities of Nelore (heat and parasite resistance) and the best of Hereford (tender meat and productivity). The development of the superbull, however, should take longer, because the researchers are still lacking the funding required to further their research.
The genetic mapping of Nelore cattle required US$ 500,000 in investment. The project was developed in partnership with the University of Maryland, the Agricultural Research Service of the United States’ Department of Agriculture and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, in Italy.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
