Sheep of the synthetic lines BCP and SCP in practical breeding and experimental research

Abstract

The study presented the history of the synthetic sheep lines BCP and SCP and the method by which they were created by the employees of the Department of Small Ruminant Breeding and Agricultural Advisory, University of Life Sciences in Lublin. The article additionally describes the role of these animals in sheep production and experimental research. Comprehensive analysis of the effects of breeding work in these populations, together with the results of scientific research using them as subjects, indicates that sheep of the synthetic universal prolific meat lines BCP and SCP are fully suitable for production of meat lambs in both intensive and extensive rearing conditions. Animals of both lines underwent experiments related to the genetic, physiological and environmental determinants of the level of reproductive and meat performance, which showed that these populations are well-suited for scientific experiments. According to the authors, in further selection work on the synthetic BCP and SCP lines greater focus should be placed on the percentage of reared lambs and the conformation of the dorsal part of the torso. They also indicated the need for monitoring of genetic variation due to the risk of increased inbreeding.