DEVELOPING MEAT PRODUCTIVITY IN BULL CALVES OF DIFFERENT DGAT1 GENOTYPES

The given research aims to study the way meat productivity in special-purpose beef bull calves of different DGAT1 genotypes is developed. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that an assessment of the meat productivity of Hereford and Limousin bulls of different DGAT1 genotypes was conducted for the first time. Calves were cultivated using elements of resource-saving technology. The research subject was Hereford male young stock (91 heads) and Limousin bull calves (109 heads), which were genotyped by SNP DGAT1-K232A. Live weight, average daily gains, and body size and conformation indices were analyzed. Hematological values and carcass quality of bull calves of different genotypes were studied. As a result of genotyping, young animals of both breeds had a similar distribution of genotypes (DGAT1KK>DGAT1KA>DGAT1AA) and alleles (DGAT1K>DGAT1A). There was no effect of the studied gene polymorphism on growth, body development, and hematological parameters, as bull calves of different DGAT1 genotypes did not show a significant difference between weight and linear growth, blood morphological parameters, the content of protein, and its fractions. SNP DGAT1-K232A was found to affect fat deposition. Thus, carcasses of both studied breeds of DGAT1K genotype had a significantly higher content of internal raw fat, and fat yield was (P<0.05) than carcasses of DGAT1AA genotype bull calves. Therefore, genotyping by SNP DGAT1-K232A can be used in the selection of special-purpose beef cattle as an additional criterion to produce meat of a higher energy value.