
Read the
magazine
story to find out more. ARS Preserves
Genetic Material for Key Cattle BreedBy David Elstein February 3, 2003 Semen and embryos sufficient to
reintroduce Holstein dairy cattle in the United States have been acquired by
the Agricultural Research Service. This
genetic "insurance," available to protect the country's primary dairy
cattle breed, is one example of how ARS is preserving valuable genetic material
for plants and animals. Animal scientist Harvey Blackburn, at the ARS National Center for Genetic
Resources Preservation (NCGRP)
in Fort Collins, Colo., led a group of researchers in acquiring Holstein
germplasm from as far back as the 1960s. The collection contains preserved
semen from approximately 470 bulls and embryos from 25 cows. The germplasm can also be used for genetic marker experiments and to
minimize potential genetic problems. During the past decade, the dairy industry
has become concerned about genetic diversity in Holsteins, and this collection
should alleviate those concerns. The germplasm came from ABS Global,
Select Sires,
Accelerated Genetics, the
University of Minnesota,
Virginia Tech University and
Iowa State University. Blackburn also is working with the ARS
Germplasm and Gamete
Physiology Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., on storage and transportation
methods for boar semen. And he's acquiring more species for the germplasm
collection, as well as increasing the number of breeds representing species
already in the collection. NCGRP scientists collect and study germplasm from
swine, dairy and beef cattle, poultry, aquacultured species and small
ruminants. The National Animal Germplasm Program is just one aspect of NCGRP
activities. Another part is the
Seed
Viability and Storage Research Unit, which documents and preserves seeds
for long-term storage, determines seed quality and distributes seeds to
researchers. In addition, the center's
Plant
Germplasm Preservation Research Unit conducts research on how plant
genebanks worldwide can collect and store plant germplasm more efficiently. To learn more about the center, see the
February 2003 issue
of Agricultural Research magazine. ARS is the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. U.S. Department of Agriculture |