meri it Ge enetic Time / generations Intervention Selection Random mating No selection Random mating

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Constance Shelton
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1 Project Steering Committee Meeting Improving Livelihoods of Small Farmers and Rural Women through Value-Added Processing and Export of Cashmere, Wool and Mohair "Establishment of a cashmere goat breeding scheme in Baft, Iran" Joaquín Mueller National Institute for Agricultural Technology Patagonia, Argentina 4 October 2011, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

2 Option 1 for genetic improvement Ge enetic meri it Intervention Selection Random mating No selection Random mating 1. Retain male progeny from best females 2. Castrate other males 3. Select amongst retained males Time / generations

3 Option 2 for genetic improvement Ge enetic meri it No selection Random mating Intervention Selection Structured mating Nucleus Base 1. Mate best females with best males in a nucleus 2. Retain and select male progeny of nucleus 3. Castrate other males Time / generations

4 Advantages and disadvantages Option 1: Easy to implement in small flocks Requires involvement of all farmers and animals Option 2: Hi h n tic p ss Higher genetic progress Requires management of a nucleus

5 For any breeding program The challenges Implementation Sustainability Out-scaling The essentials Farmer involvement Local extension support Initial financial support Technical advice

6 Background information Baft breeding station experience Production system survey (Oct 2009): Understand the nomad system Identify target animal population Identify target nomad farmers Fiber quality analyses (Apr 2010): Identify strengths and weaknesses of Baft cashmere Determine variability and distribution of key traits

7 Implementation of Baft cashmere breeding system Initial breeding aim: Higher quality cashmere suitable for small scale processing and for achieving higher prices for raw fiber Breeding plan options discussed: ss d: With officials and professionals With nomad farmers

8 At Kerman Dept Agric At AI Station At CashmereFestival At Breeding Station

9 Formally Informally With nomads and with shepherds

10 Nucleus (no-castration) Base (castration) b. Initially proposed system a best 40 females Nomad family flock 1 buck best local buck Breeding station a. Replacement of worse buck in nucleus on progeny test with nucleus born male b. Replacement of old nucleus females with young nucleus or base females

11 Selection criteria of participants Interest Location and accessibility Quality of cashmere Accept ear tagging of 40 best females Accept separate mating of nucleus Accept ear tag of progeny Accept fleece sampling

12 8 participants and nomad guide Selected nomad farmers

Reproduction efficiency / AI costs Option 2: Separate

13 Further discussion on separate mating of nucleus and base females Option 1: Artificial insemination (0) Reproduction efficiency / AI costs Option 2: Separate grazing (3) Extra labor Option 3: Pen mating (5) Fence costs

14 Nucleus management calendar Mar/Apr 2010: Selection of foundation animals (visual) Jun/Jul J 2010: First mating Nov/Dec 2010: First kidding Jan/Feb 2011: Fleece sampling of male candidates Apr/May 2011: Selection of replacements (index+vis.) Jun/Jul 2011: Second mating

15 First round of buck replacement: introducing a concept Selection of buck replacement aided by fleece analyses of 10 males /age group /flock Fleece analyses: Mean fiber diameter and down yield Index: Sum of standardized deviations from age group means (1.2 mic = 14.9%) Farmer selects best buck among top 3 indexed as replacement 3.0 = ( )/1.2 Example for Mahmood Ghassemi s 10 young male candidates: + ( )/14.9 Visual acceptability Tag Diameter (mic) Yield (%) Index Average Standard Deviation Productivity

17 What next? Further discuss and adjust breeding objective Traits Emphasis Make breeding system self-sustainable by Minimizing fiber analyses Minimizing recording Maximize genetic progress of whole population Dissemination

18 Characteristics of Iranian Cashmere Origin Color Down Down Down weight diameter length (g) (mic) (mm) Price (US/kg dehaired) (5) Chinese (1) 100% White Mongolian (1) 60% White Iranian (2) White Pamiri (3) Various (1) UNIDO (2011) and Waldron (2011) (2) Our results (3) McGegor (2011) Average of several village flocks (4) Schneider Group price index dehaired d (30 June 2011)

19 Overall breeding objective considering nomad income is based on sale of cashmere and meat Product value ($/kg): Reduce cashmere fiber diameter Maintain fiber length and white color Productivity (kg/animal): Increase cashmere weight, reproduction, bodyweight Adaptation to the environment (GxE): Survival, health, longevity, easy care, etc.

Separate manually down from guard hairs, calculate yield and multiply by

20 Estimation of cashmere weight Take shorn fleece weight Take midside sample and: 1. Separate manually down from guard hairs, calculate yield and multiply by fleece weight, or 2. Use OFDA and consider fibers >30 mic as guard hair, use Wildman-Bray formula to calculate yield and multiply by fleece weight

= n D *(m D2 +s D2 )*d D n D *(m D2 +s D2 )*d D + n G *(m G2 +s G2 )*d

21 Cashmere yield calculation using Wildman Bray method Down fibers Guard hairs quency Freq Fiber Diameter (mic) Cashmere yield = n D *(m D2 +s D2 )*d D n D *(m D2 +s D2 )*d D + n G *(m G2 +s G2 )*d G Where n: number of fibers, m: FD mean, s: standard deviation, d: density

22 In any case fleece weight is a good estimator of cashmere weight Correlation = 0.78 Source: our data

23 and weak relation between fleece weight and fiber diameter Correlation = 0.21 Fine and heavy fleeces Source: our data

24 It seems that in Raeini goats follicle density (and/or skin size) is responsible for down weight instead of length or diameter as elsewhere Our results: FW DW x Length FW DW x Diam Diam x Length

25 Proposed simplified selection scheme Example for flock of 140 does, 7 bucks and 80% weaning rate Nucleus Base Males Females Females Males Parents Progeny At weaning Keep/tag 12 Castrate all At shearing At mating Take fleece w. Keep top 6 Take sample Select top for N Next 2 for B Select/paint top 10 for N Next 25 for B Separate mating of nucleus Identification of nucleus male progeny 12 (6) ear tags and fleece weights 6 fiber diameter determinations > pen or separate grazing > not difficult > use vet ear tag? Need scale > ASRI lab?

26 What can we expect? A largely self-sustained improved buck supply system for nomad flocks Higher fleece weights and lower cashmere fiber diameter in nucleus and base flocks Nomad farmers sensitive to further genetic improvement proposals and other project interventions

27 Breeding issues to address Test if proposed p design is optimum Test if nucleus is enough better than base Check selection differential (nucleus/total females) -> samples already collected. Check value of including other traits Bodyweights, birth type Analyze use of external bucks Exchange bucks between flocks g Bucks from breeding station

28 General issues to address which influence breeding decisions See if a recording scheme can be managed and linked to breeding station recording. See if flock structure can be adjusted to produce higher quality cashmere. See if cashmere quality is paid for. Develop a grading system accordingly. Study optimum fiber collecting system -> study on the way. Study effect of local value adding on breeding objectives (emphasis on higher fiber length?)

29 Final reflection The formation of these nucleus schemes is a useful "rehearsal for genetic improvement programs, and an opportunity to train operators, consolidate breed or strain genotypes while achieving genetic progress.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan t September 2012 The overall arable lands of Iran extend up to 51 million ha. covering 30% of the total t country area with a

Tashkent, Uzbekistan t September 2012 The overall arable lands of Iran extend up to 51 million ha. covering 30% of the total t country area with a Cashmere Project Achievements in Iran, 2012 Dr. H. R. Ansari-Renani Tashkent, Uzbekistan Animal ls Science Research hi Institute t September 2012 The overall arable lands of Iran extend up to 51 million