| Research involving
beef cattle is done on the Senepol farms. The Senepol is a locally
developed breed of cattle that is very well adapted to the tropical environment.
Previously, work was done to assist in establishing the breed characteristics
and standards. In the past, projects were conducted to evaluate the
pubertal development of bulls by measuring growth, testicular size and sperm
production. Currently, a project has been initiated to evaluate sexually
mature Senepol bulls of various ages using the Breeding Soundness Evaluation.
By evaluating the bulls at young ages it is hoped that it will be possible
to develop a selection procedure for use with Senepol bulls. In many
cases, young bulls are selected and exported for sale as breeding animals.
In order to provide a high quality product for the export market, it is helpful
to have an idea of the potential breeding capacity of the bull. The
level of inbreeding among the Senepol cattle on St Croix is being determined
to evaluate the influence it may have on bull fertility and testicular
size. A recently completed project evaluated the use of the Breeding Soundness Evaluation as a method for selecting potential herd sires in the Senepol breed. It was found that Senepol bulls should be first tested when they are at least 16 mo of age to avoid failing too many of the younger bulls. It was also found that there is a low level of inbreeding within the Senepol population on St. Croix and it has no deleterious impact on the potential fertility of bulls as determined by the Breeding Soundness Evaluation. The Animal Science Program is a participant in the Multistate Project S-1013 (Genetic (Co)Variance of Parasite Resistance, Temperament, and Production Traits of Traditional and Non-Bos indicus Tropically Adapted Breeds). As part of this project, the relationship between temperament and production traits of Senepol cattle will be evaluated. |
