Publications by authors named "Renzo Morante"
Genetic parameters for different types of medullated fibre in Alpacas.
J Anim Breed Genet
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on enhancing the quality of alpaca textile fiber by reducing objectionable coarse fibers that cause itching.
- Researchers analyzed data from 3149 alpaca fiber samples to estimate genetic parameters related to different fiber types and their diameters.
- Findings suggest that targeting non-medullated and fragmented medullated fibers as key selection criteria in breeding programs could improve overall fiber quality by decreasing undesirable fiber types.
Fiber diameter is the main selection objective and criterion in alpaca breeding programs, but it can vary across anatomic regions of the animal. As fiber diameter is usually registered from a unique sample from the mid side of the body, fiber diameter variability within fleece is never addressed and phenotypic and genetic differences may exist for fleece uniformity in alpaca populations. The objective of this work was to estimate the genetic parameters of fleece uniformity in an alpaca population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The seasonal reproduction of alpacas limits pregnancy opportunities, which affects fertility rates and offspring survival due to food availability and disease exposure.
- Optimizing calving dates rather than focusing solely on age at first calving and calving intervals can improve genetic selection practices for alpacas, with analysis conducted on 6,533 birth records over 17 years in Peru.
- The study found heritability and repeatability values indicating the potential for genetic selection of calving dates, suggesting this approach may also benefit the breeding of camels and dromedaries, with a heterogeneity model providing better predictive accuracy.