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POLISH RED CATTLE: A SCHEME FOR THEIR CONSERVATION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2011

Kazimierz Zukowski
Kazimierz Zukowski
Affiliation:
Institute of Zootechnics, 32–083 Balice/Cracow, Poland
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Summary

Polish Red is the only indigenous cattle breed in Poland. Breeding was first started at the end of the 19th century. At the end of the 1960s the breed constituted more than 20 percent of the total cattle population in Poland. During the 1970s Polish Red cattle were superseded by Friesian,-and now there are about 200 000 cows left (i.e., 3 percent of the total population).

These dual-purpose (dairy-beef) animals are hardy and well adapted to rather poor feeding conditions. An improvement programme, through crossbreeding, would likely diminish their original characteristics. Therefore, together with breed improvement, a gene reserve in the form of a conservation herd of 300 cows and a gene bank of frozen semen and embryos have been implemented. A systematic breeding programme has been implemented also to maintain the old genotype and ensure wider genetic variation within the herd.

Type
Research Articles
Information
Animal Genetic Resources/Resources génétiques animales/Recursos genéticos animales , Volume 7 , April 1990 , pp. 71 - 76
Copyright
Copyright © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 1990

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References

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