Ultrasonic mass as a selection criterion in cattle breeding. [German

• Published in: Agrarforschung (Bern) Vol. 3
• Main Authors: Tschuemperlin K, Leuenberger H, Kaufmann A, Kuenzi N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: 1996
• Subjects: adipose tissues; analisis estadistico; analyse statistique; analytical methods; bovin; carcass composition; cattle; composicion de la canal; composition de la carcasse; critere de selection; criterios de seleccion; ganado bovino; meat yield; rendement en viande; rendimiento carnico; selection criteria; statistical analysis; technique analytique; tecnicas analiticas; tejido adiposo; tissu adipeux; ultrason; ultrasonics; ultrasonido
• ISSN: 1022-663X

A project for the estimation of the body composition in live beef cattle was carried out at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. 186 Simmental bulls were studied in order to verify whether a combination of three methods (ultrasonic measurement, video image analysis, and three-dimensional volume measurements) would provide better estimation of parts of meat, fat, and premium cuts than those found in former investigations. Ultrasonic measurements explained the largest part of variance in the linear regression model. None of the three dimensional volumetric measurements had a significant influence on the estimation of body composition. The influence of video image analysis was very low. For practical use a model is proposed including seven ultrasonic measurements taken in two different places. This method is applicable in practice for individual performance testing of breeding bulls as well as for progeny testing in the field. The ultrasonic method is already commonly used in Danish breeding programmes for dual purpose and meat breeds. For a successful implementation of the ultrasonic method, it is imperative to maintain a high-intensity diet and to verify regularly the accuracy of the measuring experts.