History of the development of breeding and pedigree work in reindeer herding in the Far North of the Far East

Abstract

In the course of natural and artificial selection in different ecological zones of the Far North of the Far East, sharply different indigenous types of reindeer – Chukchi and Even – were formed. In 1970–1972, at the initial stage of the breeding work, the economically useful traits of reindeer of different populations of tundra, forest-tundra and taiga zones were studied. During the autumn inventory and sanitation events in the tundra zone, the improving part of the herd included: calves 6.5 months old with a live weight of 50.2 kg, bull calves – 88.5 kg, two-year olds – 99.2 kg, bulls – 120.3 kg, and reindeer does – 95.6 kg. Reindeer of taiga and forest-tundra zones reached their maximum meat productivity in October, and those of tundra zone – by the beginning of September. In 1971–1973 in the state farm "Markovsky" a comparative assessment of meat productivity of reindeer of two exterior-constitutional types: high-growing large and low-growing compact was carried out. At the beginning of the 1980s the basis of the breeding base was formed by two breeding farms: state farm "Rassokhinsky" and "Vozrozhdenie", as well as breeding herds in the state farms "Rastsvet Severa", "Markovsky", "Enmitagino", "Way to Communism", "Druzhba". Interbreed and interpopulation crossing was carried out in the farms: Tofalar reindeer with local Even reindeer; Even reindeer does with the bulls of the Ayano-Mai population imported from the state farm "Nelkansky" in the Khabarovsk Territory; local Even-type reindeer does with the Tomponsky-type producers imported from the state farm "Tomponsky" in Yakutia. By crossing unrelated groups of the Chukchi reindeer breed, selecting and breeding individuals of desirable type for a number of generations, a highly productive type of reindeer "Vozrozhdenie" was bred. Live weight of this type of heifers at the age of 5-6 months exceeds the standard of the Chukchi breed by 6.9%, bull calves – by 12.6%, reindeer does – by 14.2%, two-year olds – by 22.2%. The genetic potential of reindeer of the inbreed type "Vozrozhdenie" by the live weight of full-aged reindeer does amounted to 120 kg, bulls – 150 kg. Also deer of this type differ from other breeds by early dates of estrus and fawning. In order to improve breeding and pedigree work in the Magadan region and the Chukotka Autonomous District, effective methods based on the achievements of molecular genetics have been used since 2017 to date. According to the results of the study, a high degree of heterozygosity was observed in the Priokhotsk population of the Even breed (0.882) and in the Chukchi population (0.865), which indicates the advantage of these individuals in adaptive traits and population stability.