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The effect of zinc deficiency on wool growth and skin and wool follicle histology of male Merino lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2008

C. L. White ,
G. B. Martin ,
P. I. Hynd  and
R. E. Chapman
C. L. White
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Animal Production, Private Bag, PO, Wembley, Western Australia6014
G. B. Martin
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Animal Production, Private Bag, PO, Wembley, Western Australia6014 School of Agriculture (Animal Science), The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia6009
P. I. Hynd
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Sciences, Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, South Australia5064
R. E. Chapman
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Animal Production, PO Box 239, Blacktown, NSW 2148, Australia
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Abstract

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The aims of this work were to quantify the requirements of Zn for wool growth in growing male Merino lambs, and to describe the histological lesions of Zn deficiency in skin and wool follicles. Four groups of male Merino lambs (n 4) weighing 22 kg were fed ad lib. for 96 d on diets that contained 4 (basal diet), 10, 17 or 27 mg Zn/kg. Sheep in a fifth group were fed on the diet containing 27 mg Zn/kg, but were pair-fed to sheep on the 4 mg Zn/kg diet. Zn was added to the basal diet as ZnSO4 to give the respective treatment concentrations. Sheep fed on the diet containing 4 mg Zn/kg showed clinical signs of Zn deficiency and lower feed intakes and wool growth than sheep in the other groups. Their wool fibres were improperly keratinized and the wool follicles contained a higher proportion of apoptotic bodies than other groups. There was no evidence of parakeratosis and the rate of bulb-cell production was not affected. Sheep from other groups showed no clinical signs of Zn deficiency, and mean feed intakes and growth rates did not differ significantly between sheep fed on diets containing 10, 17 or 27 mg Zn/kg. However, wool growth was reduced in sheep fed on the diet containing 10 mg Zn/kg compared with those fed on diets containing 17 or 27 mg/kg. The mean concentration of Zn in the plasma at which wool growth was 90 % of maximum was 0.5 mg/l. The equivalent value for the diet was 12 mg/kg, with 95 % confidence intervals of 8 to 16 mg/kg. The results suggest that Zn deficiency reduces wool growth through a specific mechanism, perhaps involving impaired protein synthesis.

Keywords

ZincWoolSkinSheep
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 71 , Issue 3 , March 1994 , pp. 425 - 435
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1994

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