The Genetic Project Manager with PIC Canada says the introduction of new technologies has allowed breeders to select pigs based on an ever increasing number of genetic traits.
“The Evolution of Genetic Potential” was among the topics discussed last week as part of the Prairie Swine Centre’s 2018 Spring Producer Meetings.
Daniel Godbout, the Genetic Project Manager with PIC Canada, says 60 years there were few tools available to enhance genetic improvement so growth rate was one of the first criteria to be selected for and as technology developed around the 1950s and 60s selection for carcass traits including back fat depth was implemented.
From 1960 to 1990 lots of new technology were developed allowing selection on more traits. One of these traits that we were capable of selecting on that was not possible prior was selection on feed conversion with the use of electronic feeding stations. Also, with the coming of new technology like BLUP. BLUP is a methodology that allows a better calculation of index, which was in fact developed at the University of Guelph back in 1985. That allows the selection on reproductive traits that were not possible prior to 1985.
If we would look very simply, during the 1970s there was probably two traits. During the 1980s it improved to five traits and gradually over the 1990s and 2000 to 2010 this number gradually increased up to 20 plus traits and different areas, carcass traits, reproductive traits, meat quality traits, survivability and so on.
~ Daniel Godbout, PIC Canada
Godbout says what has stayed the same is pigs are selected that present these desirable attributes and multiplied through traditional breeding.
