Scientists of the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences SPC RAS) We conducted experiments on crossing several breeds of reindeer in Russia. The results of the study demonstrated an increase in meat productivity in first-generation hybrids. This practice can be used to increase the productivity of reindeer husbandry.
Reindeer are domesticated by the indigenous peoples of the north who live in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. There, these animals form not only the basis of the economy, but also contribute to the survival of local peoples, which means they also contribute to the preservation of their culture, customs and languages. At the same time, scientists are studying the biological characteristics of reindeer, many of which may increase the economic efficiency of reindeer husbandry in the future.
One of the phenomena that researchers of reindeer from SPC RAS are studying is heterosis, a process in which the offspring of hybrids surpass their parents in certain characteristics, such as productivity, vitality and adaptive abilities. At the same time, this phenomenon is not associated with a change in the genetic material, but is manifested through the stimulation of metabolic processes.
Heterosis is actively used in animal husbandry and breeding, and its theoretical justification was given back in the 19th century by Charles Darwin. However, this process has hardly been studied in reindeer husbandry, which is due to the difficulties in conducting experiments and the lack of breeding records. Nevertheless, the effect of heterosis is applied in practice in the form of "blood refreshment" — the periodic change of males in herds, which helps to improve genetic diversity and productivity.
“We conducted experiments aimed at assessing the growth and meat productivity of first–generation crossbreeds of several breeds of reindeer, namely the Nenets and Chukchi breeds, as well as the Even and Tofalar intra-breed groups of the Evenk breed,” says Alexander Yuzhakov, chief Researcher at the Department of Animal Husbandry and Environmental Management of the Arctic of the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The research was conducted in forest-tundra conditions in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) using Chukchi males imported by aviation. The experiment included the formation of experimental and control groups of young animals, consisting of 40 males and 40 females, with regular control weigh-ins at the ages of 3, 6 and 18 months. The average daily increase and meat productivity were assessed using a special program. According to scientific tests, Nenets-Chukchi crossbreeds outperformed their purebred peers in terms of body weight in 77.2% of the 22 studied indicators, and Even-Tofalar crossbreeds demonstrated an advantage in 63.6% of indicators. The control slaughter confirmed that the pre-slaughter weight and carcass weight of the crossbreeds are consistently higher than that of purebred deer.
“The research results indicate the high efficiency of interbreeding, which opens up new horizons for commercial reindeer husbandry in the Siberian regions. In the future, the introduction of this practice in reindeer farms can be used to increase the meat productivity of the industry,” notes Alexander Yuzhakov.
The results of the study are published in the scientific journal “It's all about meat.” This article is part of the extensive work of scientists of SPC RAS on the organization of breeding work in farms of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. Over the past 10 years, researchers have worked in Yamal, the Murmansk Region, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Taimyr and Kamchatka.
Kasim Laishev, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the NWCPPO – division of the St. Petersburg Institute of Physics and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Artyom Musidray, a leading researcher at the St. Petersburg Institute of Physics and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, also participated in this study. Experts from SPC RAS closely cooperate with the country's leading scientific institutions in the field of animal husbandry and genetics. Among them is the N.I. Institute of General Genetics. Vavilova, the All-Russian Institute of Animal Husbandry, the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Genetics and Breeding of Farm Animals of the Russian Academy of Agriculture, Biotrof Company, the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Tyumen Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Yakut Academy of Sciences, as well as with agricultural universities and the Veterinary Academy of St. Petersburg. During this time, the scientific staff of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Environmental Management of the Arctic has published 11 monographs and about 200 scientific articles, won 2 grants from the Russian Science Foundation and 4 regional competitions.