November 17, 2003

China Discovers the Gene of "High Reproductive Breeder Pig"

An eFeedLink Exclusive Report

Through the study of genes, the secret behind the high reproductive rates of breeder pig can be unraveled. The application of the results of the study can also help raise the reproductive rate of breeder pig.

Professor Li Ning from the Faculty of Biological Science, China Agricultural University, led the research team to achieve the significant discovery the gene of "high reproductive breeder Pig". The results of this study put the team at the leading edge of international agro-biotechnology.

If the newly discovered technique is applied to China's 73 commercial pig breeder farms, the annual increase in revenue can be expected to reach RMB150 million.       

The 20,000 subjects of study were pigs from two different breeds: the local breed of breeder "Er-hua-lian" pig, which is well- known internationally for their high reproductive rates; and breeder pig for commercial use in Europe.

First, the team of specialists used a gene selection strategy to determine the genetic type of the pigs. By analyzing the codes of these genes, they are able to isolate or mark out the gene that is related to the reproductive rates of the animal. This is a pioneer work, the first discovery of its kind in the world.

Many local pig breeding companies are adopting the technique used in the study to boost the reproduction rate in their herds and the results were indeed encouraging. Breeder pig reproduction has increased by 0.5 to 1.5 head.