To analyse expected costs and benefits of closed nucleus selection in the Verzaschese goat. A semistocahstic model is used for simulating nucleus selection of a dairy trait, with inbreeding control constrained at 0.3%. Milk and pedigree recording, and artificial insemination, are carried out in the nucleus; the only management constrain in the commercial population is the use of males coming from the nucleus, alternatively for one or two years. Nuclei of 100, 200 and 400 goats, supporting commercial populations of 175, 350, and 650 goats are considered, for a total of 14 breeding schemes simulated. Returns from the breeding program are based on income from milk per unit of genetic gain, considering a net monetary value per kg of milk from .96 to 1.56 Euro. Breeding costs include housing, maintenance and transport of males, semen production (assuming working at station or in the field), milk and pedigree recording (with and without subsidies), and artificial insemination. Discounted profits are computed per breeding scheme as returns minus costs, considering a discount rate of 3.5%, across 8 economic scenarios. By enlarging the dimension of the nucleus, genetic gain increases from 4.1 to 4.9 kg of milk (nucleus of 100), from 5.3 to 6.0 Kg. (nucleus of 200), and from 5.9 to 6.6 Kg. (nucleus of 400). Profit increases by prolonging the selection programme time horizon, ranging across the simulated cases from -95,549 to 22,746 Euros (10 years period), from -42,479 to 124,047 Euros (15 years period), from 16,317 to 323,155 Euros (20 years period). Discounted profit per kg of milk of genetic gain ranges from -211,142 to 65,978 Euros. Discounted profit decreases substantially when we consider returns only from the genetic gain in the nucleus. In general discounted profit is largely affected by price of milk and costs for milk recording, and marginally by costs of semen collection. Costs used in this study refers to the specific breed-context of the Italian Verzaschese, however the simulated scenarios can be reasonable considered common to many dairy goat breeds in the Mediterranean area.
Economic evaluation of genetic improvement with inbreeding control in the Verzaschese goat
G Gandini;F Turri;F Pizzi
2015
Abstract
To analyse expected costs and benefits of closed nucleus selection in the Verzaschese goat. A semistocahstic model is used for simulating nucleus selection of a dairy trait, with inbreeding control constrained at 0.3%. Milk and pedigree recording, and artificial insemination, are carried out in the nucleus; the only management constrain in the commercial population is the use of males coming from the nucleus, alternatively for one or two years. Nuclei of 100, 200 and 400 goats, supporting commercial populations of 175, 350, and 650 goats are considered, for a total of 14 breeding schemes simulated. Returns from the breeding program are based on income from milk per unit of genetic gain, considering a net monetary value per kg of milk from .96 to 1.56 Euro. Breeding costs include housing, maintenance and transport of males, semen production (assuming working at station or in the field), milk and pedigree recording (with and without subsidies), and artificial insemination. Discounted profits are computed per breeding scheme as returns minus costs, considering a discount rate of 3.5%, across 8 economic scenarios. By enlarging the dimension of the nucleus, genetic gain increases from 4.1 to 4.9 kg of milk (nucleus of 100), from 5.3 to 6.0 Kg. (nucleus of 200), and from 5.9 to 6.6 Kg. (nucleus of 400). Profit increases by prolonging the selection programme time horizon, ranging across the simulated cases from -95,549 to 22,746 Euros (10 years period), from -42,479 to 124,047 Euros (15 years period), from 16,317 to 323,155 Euros (20 years period). Discounted profit per kg of milk of genetic gain ranges from -211,142 to 65,978 Euros. Discounted profit decreases substantially when we consider returns only from the genetic gain in the nucleus. In general discounted profit is largely affected by price of milk and costs for milk recording, and marginally by costs of semen collection. Costs used in this study refers to the specific breed-context of the Italian Verzaschese, however the simulated scenarios can be reasonable considered common to many dairy goat breeds in the Mediterranean area.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.