Breed characteristics The Belgian Blue has a natural mutation in the myostatin gene which codes for the protein, myostatin (“myo” meaning muscle and “statin” meaning stop). These cattle have a muscle yield around 20% more on average than cattle without the genetic myostatin mutation.

The Belgian Blue is a large sized animal with rounded outline and prominent muscles. The shoulder, back, loin and rump are heavily muscled.

They’re called Belgian blue bulls, and the reason they look so bulky is because of a naturally occurring mutation called “double muscling,” which occurs when the animals lack a certain protein that regulates muscle growth.

The MSTN (myostatin) gene has been identified as the cause of the double-muscled phenotype in cattle [16]. An 11 base-pare deletion of the protein is responsible for muscular hypertrophy in Belgian Blue DM (BBDM) cattle.

Answer: The benefit breeders get out of cows with greater muscle mass is that they can get almost 40% more edible meat from them.

It will be important in the future for breeders and milk producers to have cows that produce high quality milk, that milk out fast, that produce high daily volumes of fat and protein, and that have udders and temperaments that work well within the on-farm systems.

Selective Breeding – Cow Some animals selectively bred for the meat (beef cattle) while others were bred for the milk (dairy cattle). Some of the traits traits have developed over the centuries include: Increased size and muscle mass (beef) Increased milk production and udder size (dairy)

An example of this can be seen in cows, as they can be bred to produce milk and meat. Farmers selectively breed different types of cows with highly desirable characteristics in order to produce the best meat and dairy. This means the farmers can make the most profit.

Crossbreeding involves breeding two unrelated individuals. This is often used to produce offspring with desirable characteristics from two different individuals. Crossbreeding two purebred organisms will produce offspring that display the characteristics of interest.

For a large breed, larger than average males are bred with larger than average females. Over many generations, a larger breed results. The same effect occurs when dogs with unusually long hair are selectively bred and a long-haired breed results. Selective breeding can take a long time but is very effective.

The three methods of selective breeding are outcrossing, inbreeding and line breeding.

Risks of selective breeding include: reduced genetic variation can lead to attack by specific insects or disease, which could be extremely destructive. rare disease genes can be unknowingly selected as part of a positive trait, leading to problems with specific organisms, eg a high percentage of Dalmatian dogs are deaf.

Selective breeding allows the encouragement of plant and animal characteristics that are more beneficial to farmers. For example, if they have selectively bred cows, these livestock can produce more milk than those typically bred, and the gene can be passed on to their offspring.

Selective breeding: Two strains of plants are introduced and bred to produce offspring with specific features. Between 10,000 and 300,000 genes can be affected. This is the oldest method of genetic modification, and is typically not included in the GMO food category.

The pros of GMO crops are that they may contain more nutrients, are grown with fewer pesticides, and are usually cheaper than their non-GMO counterparts. The cons of GMO foods are that they may cause allergic reactions because of their altered DNA and they may increase antibiotic resistance.

Genetic engineering is also called genetic modification or GM. Genetic engineering can make faster changes to organisms than selective breeding.

Since then the federal government has accepted most GMO crops, typically without requiring labeling or extensive safety testing. In addition, the U.S. FDA has stated there are no significant differences between patented, genetically engineered foods and non-genetically modified foods.

Shop at farmer’s markets and remember that most produce is safe non GMO, even conventional varieties, with the exception of corn, radicchio, beets, Hawaiian papaya, zucchini and yellow summer squash. Organic whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are safe.

A few fresh fruits and vegetables are available in GMO varieties, including potatoes, summer squash, apples, and papayas. Although GMOs are in a lot of the foods we eat, most of the GMO crops grown in the United States are used for animal food.

Biofortification increases the nutritional value in crops. Golden rice is genetically modified in order to produce beta carotene, which is not normally produced in rice. Beta carotene is convereted into Vitamin A when metabolized by the human body.

While nearly all foods today have been genetically modified or altered in some way through years of selective breeding, oranges are not an example of a GM crop because they have not had their genetic makeup altered through bioengineering.

They are a domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and Southwestern Asia. The plant probably originated in Persia and was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged, more palatable, less woody-textured taproot.