Polymorphisms of the porcine cathepsins, growth hormone-releasing hormone and leptin receptor genes and their association with meat quality traits in Ukrainian Large White breed

© 2016, The Author(s). Cathepsins, growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and leptin receptor (LEPR) genes have been receiving increasing attention as potential markers for meat quality and pig performance traits. This study investigated the allele variants in four cathepsin genes (CTSB, CTSK, CTSL, CTSS), GHRH and LEPR in pure-bred Ukrainian Large White pigs and evaluated effects of the allele variants on meat quality characteristics. The study was conducted on 72 pigs. Genotyping was performed using PCR–RFLP technique. Meat quality characteristics analysed were intramuscular fat content, tenderness, total water content, ultimate pH, crude protein and ashes. A medium level of heterozygosity values was established for GHRH and LEPR genes which corresponded to very high levels of informativeness indexes. Cathepsins CTSL, CTSB and CTSK had a low level of heterozygosity, and CTSS did not segregate in this breed. Association studies established that intramuscular fat content and tenderness were affected by the allele variance in GHRH and LEPR but not by CTSB and CTSL genes. The GHRH results could be particularly relevant for the production of lean prime cuts as the A allele is associated with both, a lower meat fat content and better tenderness values, which are two attributes highly regarded by consumers. Results of this study suggest that selective breeding towards GHRH/AA genotype would be particularly useful for improving meat quality characteristics in the production systems involving lean Large White lines, which typically have less than 2% intramuscular fat content

Data Requirements

Evaluating NBS benefits, co-benefits, and trade-offs can be a data intensive process. Understanding the data requirements is a critical element in relation to ensuring both the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this evaluation process. In order to establish the monitoring plans and schemes described in previous chapters, and to deliver this over the range of relevant scales, it is therefore critical to generate data that are both applicable for the nature-based solution impact assessment, and that are comparable to the preceding monitoring campaigns. This chapter addresses the data requirements involved in evaluating the impacts that nature-based solutions manifest and explains the data building blocks involved in NBS monitoring and assessment procedures