Holstein seed bulls’ breeding potential and their daughters’ productivity point estimation

The aim of the study is to find out the breeding potential and prospects of obtaining and using Holstein cattle embryo transplant bulls on the basis of a point estimation. For the first time, the productivity of cows descended from embryo transplant fathers and obtained by the traditional method was monitored by means of a point estimation. To achieve this goal the estimates of 2846 daughters from 104 embryo transplant bulls (23 farms) were analyzed; their indicators were compared with 934 cows obtained by means of traditional artificial insemination with sperm of 31 seed bulls (21 farms). The information storage and analysis were carried out by forming databases in the software complex “SELEX” acquired in LLC “Plinor”. The cows’ origin was controlled in the Laboratory of immunogenetic examination of JSC “Moskovskoye” on breeding. The bulls came from 5 European countries, Germany, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Russia. There were no significant differences between the 2 compared samples of cows. The sum of points for the compared samples of cows was 93.75±0.08 and 93.91±0.163. With a small difference in the point estimation of cows’ genotype in favor of traditional breeding animals (13.62±0.030 and 14.17±0.044), the milk yield of cows obtained from embryo transplant bulls was slightly higher than that of peers (7477±26.8 and 7434±40.2 kg). Thus, the cows obtained from transplant bulls in terms of daughters’ productivity in general do not differ from their peers obtained from bulls by the artificial insemination method. Given the relevance of the use of the outstanding Holstein black-and-white suit bulls in JSC “Moskovskoye” on breeding the research results can be used in the embryo transfer center where they produce calves from parents with outstanding pedigrees on performance and exterior. The perspective of further studies is a point estimate of dairy cattle productivity.