Animal and Plant Production Flashcards
Purposes of raising livestock
- protein food source
- produce fibre and fertiliser
- to manage weeds
- preserve an endangered breed or species
- make money
- love of animals
define animal science
- care, management and production of domesticated animals
what are some animal systems
- pasture system
- animal system
- grazing system
what are some issues with domestication
- can’t survive in wild
- poultry can’t fly well
- sheep don’t shed wool
- dairy cows produce >6000L milk/year (too much)
- birds produce 250-300 eggs a year - too energy expensive
define wild, exotic, feral animal and breed
Wild animal = not genetically altered by selective breeding
Exotic Animal = animals not native to country
feral Animal = a domestic animal that lives in the wild with no human assistance
breed = a population of domestic animals, that the individual may vary in genotype and phenotype
what do consumers demand from animal food
Confidence factors - quality, safety
Ethical factors - environmental, conditions
Nutritional Factors - lean, low fat, source of nutrients
Economic factors - reasonable purchase price, value
what are animals used for
- milk, eggs
- fibre (materials)
- by-products - bones, fat
- work
- stimulation
explain the process of food production chain
- production
- processing
- distribution
- restaurant
- retail -> home prep -> home consumption
- restaurant prep -> restaurant consumers
explain intensive management systems
- smaller area
- fewer animals
- higher costs per hectare
- high stock rate
- sell for higher rates
- coastal regions
- Southern
explain extensive management systems
- larger area
- more animals
- fewer input costs per hectare
- slower growth rates
- less labour
- rangelands
- northlands
What is selection of animals based on?
- weight
- individuality (temperament)
- Pedigree and genetics (breeding value)
- age
explain the four digestive groups
- mono-gastric - simple stomach (human, dog)
- Avian - gizzard (chicken)
- polygastric - ruminant (cow, sheep)
- pseudo-ruminants - cecum (horse, rabbit)
what are the quality factors of animal feed
- palatability - how will it influence ability to produce products and grow
- nutrient content
- digestibility
what are three most important plant families
- poaceae (grasses)
- Fabaceae (legumes
- Solanaceae (potato)
how were genes manipulated before green revolution
breeding
what does the domestication of crop plants involve
- removal or reduction of naturally toxic or allergenic compounds
what is germplasm?
the genetic origins of plants. Need to obtain new germplasm from centres of origign of crop species
what is Mendelian genetics
- Gregor Mendel discovered inheritance patterns in 1850s
- can breed specific attributes
what are some other methods of attaining desirable plant varieties
- crossbreeding
- hybridisation
- pedigree selection
- marker assisted selection
- population improvement
= adaption and localisation
monocot vs dicot plants
monocot = single cotyledon, leaf sheath, parallel veins, fibrous roots
dicot = two cotyledons, no leaf sheath, netlike veins, tap roots
what nutrients do plants require
13 mineral nutrients
- N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, B, Mo, Cl
what are desirable plant traits
- high yeild
- high quality
- resistance to pests and disease
- tolerance to abiotic stress
- adaptability to specific environments
what are the 4 categories of crop varieties (based on breeding)
- inbred lines -> self-fertilising
- hybrids -> self-compatible
- clones -> vegetatively propagated
- populations of plants -> a range of genotypes are combined to promote persistence
single gene traits vs polygenes
single = trait determined by presence of one or a few genes
poly = overall trait is defined by the sum of actions of each individual minor genes
what is F1 hybrids
- if a “male” plant is sterile it is cross pollinate to generate F1 hybrid seeds
what is backcrossing
improving a good existing variety (P1) by trying to transfer a specific property from another line or related species (P2) -> breeding P1 with P2
what is mutation breeding
using gamma rays/ chemical mutagens to modify properties
when was transgenics implemented
1966
what are the limitations of traditional breeding
- limited to species that can be crossed
- polygenic traits
- complex traits
- hard to ID useful mutants
- timescales
advantages of new breeding tech
- not limited to source genetic material
- speed up selection for conventional breeding
- ## introduce specific genes/traits
