A $73 million project to sequence the genetic blueprint of a female Hereford cow will revolutionise the world's dairy and beef cattle industries, one of its collaborators says.
University of Adelaide genome expert David Adelson was one of more than 300 researchers from 25 different countries who spent six years mapping the bovine genome, the first livestock animal in the world to be sequenced.The results of the project were published today in the in the international journal Science.
Prof Adelson said the genetic sequencing of Dominette the cow would pave the way for more sustainable food production around the world.
"This will have a significant impact on genetic selection for dairy production, for meat production and for food efficiency," he said.
"It will mean that livestock producers will not only be able to breed superior animals but they will be able to assess the genetic potential of the animals they have."
Using the sequencing information, the cattle and dairy industries would soon be able to use a relatively cheap test to assess the genetic potential of their animals at birth.
"This will tell them which livestock will produce superior meat or milk without investing too much money to improve their condition," Prof Adelson said.
"With the right kind of genetic testing, dairy producers in particular will be able to predict, with a high degree of accuracy, the animal's genetic potential.
"This will speed up and lower the cost of their genetic improvement programs considerably."
Sequencing of the bovine genome, containing between 22,000 and 26,835 genes, proved it was more similar to that of humans than those of mice or rats.
During evolution, domesticated cattle and other mammals diverged from a common ancestor that gave rise to humans, the report's authors said.
AAP