Adaptability of low cost tick-resistant cattle for growth.
Treatments to reduce costs, for example, extra indicus tick resistance in indicus/taurus strains, may not enhance beef profits. On the other hand, the negative correlation between productivity and adaptability to ticks can be reversed by the alternative use of 'lean beef' carcase characters. Results show that high indicus/lean beef genotypes are significantly (p less than 0.01) heavier than the cattle without the carcase character. That the 'right type of cattle' for a southern hemisphere situation, that is resistant/high yield genotypes, can be produced has been made clear.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D005838:Genotype; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*