Parentage testing and looking for single nucleotide markers associated with antler quality in deer (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>)

To provide a cost-efficient parentage testing kit for red deer (Cervus elaphus), a 63 SNP set has been developed from a high-density Illumina BovineHD BeadChip containing 777 962 SNPs after filtering of genotypes of 50 stags. The successful genotyping rate was 38.6 % on the chip. The ratio of polymorphic loci among effectively genotyped loci was 6.5 %. The selected 63 SNPs have been applied to 960 animals to perform parentage control. Thirty SNPs out of the 63 had worked on the OpenArray platform. Their combined value of the probability of identity and exclusion probability was 4.9×10-11 and 0.99803, respectively. A search for loci linked with antler quality was also performed on the genotypes of the above-mentioned stags. Association studies revealed 14 SNPs associated with antler quality, where low-quality antlers with short and thin main beam antlers had values from 1 to 2, while high-quality antlers with long and strong main beams had values between 4 and 5. The chance for a stag to be correctly identified as having high-value antlers is expected to be over 88 %.</p

Sediment Transport Model For Storm Sewer Networks Towards The Operational Risks

Sediment transport in sewer networks can be critical in economical and safety point of view. To improve the operation of the sewer networks we are presenting a model, which is capable of numerical simulations of the sediment transport in storm water network. The developed model is calculating the change of the particle distribution of the sediment fractions including the effects of settling and mixing up processes. The results of the model calculations in a simplified network are also presented. We are also planning to apply the developed sediment transport module by coupling to a hydrodynamic simulation for practical tasks supporting the design and operation of sewers networks

Reproductive Capacity of Mangalica pigs – What is the Reality?

History of Mangalica pig is dated back to the first half of 19th century, however some former information is available of Mangalica ancestors in the 18th century. This fatty pig breed attained its’ typical characteristics till the last quarter of 19th century and these features are still existing. Since Mangalica pigs were nearly extinguished after 1950’s the relevant scientific and practical knowledge also stepwise reduced. In the present overview we compare in detail the ancient and modern information on Mangalica reproduction. First estrous of Mangalica gilts was described at around age of 10 to 11 month. Actually, Mangalica gilts can come in heat as early as 7 to 8 months of age and, therefore can have their first farrowing at 11 to 12 months of age. It was reported that several dam lines had quite high litter-size (8-9 piglets) at the beginning of 20th century, however due to different selection scheme these lines disappeared. Fortunately, nowadays we can identify again such more prolific sows. Throughout comparison of old and modern knowledge of Mangalica reproductive biology we should conclude that respectful incorporation of valuable ancient knowledge has same importance as the newest data collected by the most sophisticated instrumentation and methods. Synthesis of them is necessary for the preservation of original genetic value and the market oriented production.A história do porco Mangalica remonta à primeira metade do século XIX, no entanto, há informação sobre os seus ascendentes no século XVIII. Este porco tipo “gordura” chegou às suas características típicas no último quarto do século XIX sendo que estas ainda se mantêm até hoje. Dado que os porcos Mangalica estavam praticamente extintos após os anos 50’s do século passado também foi reduzida a informação científica e conhecimento prático sobre a raça. Nesta revisão comparamos em detalhe informação antiga e moderna sobre a reprodução dos suínos Mangalica. Descrições antigas relatavam o primeiro cio das marrãs Mangalica aos 10-11 meses de idade. Efetivamente, as fêmeas Mangalica podem ter cios aos 7-8 meses de idade e, portanto, podem ter o seu primeiro parto com 11-12 meses. Há relatos que várias linhas “mãe” tinham ninhadas grandes (8-9 leitões) no início do século XX, no entanto, por causa de diferentes esquemas de seleção essas linhas desapareceram. Afortunadamente, hoje podemos identificar novamente essas porcas mais prolíficas. Através da comparação do conhecimento antigo e atual da biologia reprodutiva da Mangalica devemos concluir que a incorporação do conhecimento antigo válido tem a mesma importância que os novos dados obtidos com metodologias e instrumentos mais sofisticados. A sua síntese é necessária para a preservação do valor genético original e para a produção orientada para o mercado

Invited review: reproductive physiology in commercial and premium pig breeds – history of 30-year-long cooperation

Cooperation of the Hungarian Research Institute for Animal Breeding and Nutrition (ATK) with the German Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) goes back many decades. In 1988 the two departments of reproductive biology began a joint project concerning on ovulation investigation in Landrace pigs. This joint project laid the foundation for further joint projects and has existed for almost 30 years. Over the years, the main focus has always been on the events of the female reproductive tract in pigs, i.e., follicular growth, ovulation, transport of gametes in the oviduct, fertilization and early embryonic development. Nearly all studies were done under in vivo circumstances and using different clinical and endocrinological methods, enabling us to obtain more profound knowledge of the dynamics of reproductive processes. Even results considered to be basic scientific achievements were available for utilization in the daily practice of porcine reproductive management. Since the end of the 1990s, the common projects have been gradually shifted to the physiology of the Hungarian indigenous pig breed Mangalica. Research partners were convinced that modern utilization of indigenous pig breeds would open new doors for premium pork production. In addition to the Mangalica breed, this principal was broadened to non-European fatty-type native pig breeds as well and resulted in long-term, intercontinental scientific cooperation