SIX years of research costing $60 million are about to deliver their first results to the sheep industry.
Early next year, according to the Sheep Co-operative Research Centre, stud breeders of rams will be able to determine a ram's traits for intra-muscular fat or fleece staple through a simple DNA test on a lamb's blood sample.
Other DNA tests, for worm resistance, fleece colour, fertility, growth rates, meat yield, breech wrinkle and a host of other traits are expected to follow over the next two years.
The tests are the culmination of trials that first began in 2003, with Meat and Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation's joint $30 million Sheep Genomics project. The project tested two years of progeny from 2500 sheep selected for their extreme traits.
Four years later this work was absorbed into the current Sheep CRC's Information Nucleus flock.
This seven-year Sheep CRC program is being funded by MLA and AWI - each contributing $10 million - and a Federal Government grant of $35.5 million.
Rather than testing for specific genes, the program aims to identify the genetic pattern, or single nucleotide polymorphisms, which relate to a trait such as staple strength or muscle tenderness.
Scientists call single nucleotide polymorphisms "SNPs", or "snips". SNPs are the latest fashion for identifying traits in livestock. The dairy industry is currently using them and beef is not far behind.
Sheep Genetics manager Sam Gill said the SNPs test would be used in conjunction with the current suite of sheep breeding values.
Mr Gill said the advantage of SNPs was that they would help identify traits which were otherwise too expensive to objectively measure on individual animals.
He cited a $5-$10 test for a staple strength measurement, while a measurement for intra-muscular fat was only accurate if taken from a carcass, he said.
Mr Gill said licensing negotiations were currently underway between the Sheep CRC and potential commercial providers of the SNP tests.
He said the ultimate goal would be the ability to test for a range of traits from the one test.
Mr Gill said the ultimate goal, from the Sheep CRC's point of view, was to ensure an uptake of the test for the overall benefit of sheep producers.
