The results of selection and breeding activities for white goats of Zalaajinst-Edren breed

Abstract

The population of white goats created by continues research and sound selection under the Gobi ecological and climatic conditions was recognized as a distinct cashmere breed of Zalaajinst-Edren white goats in 2015 by a decree # A/59, of the Minister of Food and Agriculture of Mongolia [7].
Studies carried out in Shinejinst and Bayan-Undur soums of Bayankhongor aimag in 2011-2016 were to review the results of the work undertaken for crossing of native goats and crossbreds from the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan breed and native goats with bucks of Zalaajinst white strain. The objective of this work was to evaluate the outputs of previously conducted studies on inheritance of body color and achievements of introduced selective breeding schemes and to investigate options for further consolidation of key productive and phenotypic performances such as body color, cashmere yield and fiber quality.
The size of herds of Zalaajinst-Edren breed raised in Shinejinst and Bayan-Undur soums, home to the nucleus herds has reached 217.5 thousand heads including 47.8 thousand heads of desirable type - representing the breed. Thus, the number of goats satisfies the limits allowing entering into straight breeding and kick-off line breeding exercises using existing genealogical lines: “Zalaa” – fine cashmere fiber, “Suvdan” - large body size, “Myandsan” with long cashmere fiber and “Edren” producing the most fine cashmere [6].
The distinctive features of goats of Zalaajinst-Edren white breed is that they give pure white cashmere with unique quality yielding at 406.3 grams of fine down of 15.1 microns in fiber diameter and 68.6 mm in length. The pure cashmere yield is measured at 47.0-57.05 percent. No major differences in liveweight and milk and meat productivity have been recorded between Zalaajinst-Edren white breed and other cashmere flocks in Mongolia [7].