‘Xtreme’ sheep to advance Australian wool industry
07/06/2006
Scientists from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the University of Adelaide are looking for ‘xtreme’ sheep with unusual wool to provide genetic information that could lead to superior wool quality.
These lambs are usually culled because they may have uneven wool, strange fibres, clumps of wool that fall out, bare patches, no wool, unusual crimp, extra-lustrous wool, or even highly wrinkled skin. However University of Adelaide’s Professor Phil Hynd stated, “These lambs, typically viewed as worthless, are in fact highly valuable to the industry, because one of the most efficient ways to identify the genes that impact on certain wool traits is to study animals that have rare or extreme features.”
“When something goes really wrong with the genes, it is the most powerful indicator about where to look to identify the genes that can – paradoxically – make things go really right.”
Experts are hoping that, as a result of testing, Australian merino wool could become stretchier, less scratchy, shinier and easier to spin, helping it to compete more successfully against synthetic fibres.
Dr Hynd said that it was estimated that, among the national merino flock, about 100 ‘xtreme’ lambs will born this autumn.
“Currently the wool industry is making small, incremental improvements to wool quality – about 1% a year. The development of studying unusual sheep could lead to dramatic improvements in genetic gain and secure a healthy future for the Australian wool industry.”
Australia’s wool industry is currently worth $2.8 billion.
These lambs are usually culled because they may have uneven wool, strange fibres, clumps of wool that fall out, bare patches, no wool, unusual crimp, extra-lustrous wool, or even highly wrinkled skin. However University of Adelaide’s Professor Phil Hynd stated, “These lambs, typically viewed as worthless, are in fact highly valuable to the industry, because one of the most efficient ways to identify the genes that impact on certain wool traits is to study animals that have rare or extreme features.”
“When something goes really wrong with the genes, it is the most powerful indicator about where to look to identify the genes that can – paradoxically – make things go really right.”
Experts are hoping that, as a result of testing, Australian merino wool could become stretchier, less scratchy, shinier and easier to spin, helping it to compete more successfully against synthetic fibres.
Dr Hynd said that it was estimated that, among the national merino flock, about 100 ‘xtreme’ lambs will born this autumn.
“Currently the wool industry is making small, incremental improvements to wool quality – about 1% a year. The development of studying unusual sheep could lead to dramatic improvements in genetic gain and secure a healthy future for the Australian wool industry.”
Australia’s wool industry is currently worth $2.8 billion.
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