Do Texas Angora bucks improve mohair weight and quality traits of Tajik Angora goats?

Abstract

With the main objective of improving Tajik mohair quantity and quality, frozen semen from eight top performance tested Texan Angora bucks was imported and used on 459 selected local goats from 11 farmers in two insemination seasons. Conception rates in both seasons were very low. Sixty six Texan x Tajik crossbred progeny were compared with 308 contemporary Tajik controls. Early live body weights, mohair quantity and mohair quality data were collected and genotypes compared after correcting for season, farm and sex of progeny, fitting age as a co-variable. Body weights at birth were higher in crossbreds (2.39 vs. 2.19 kg, P < 0.001) but body weights at 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months were similar. Fleece weights at first shearing were much higher in crossbreds (1.16 vs. 0.68 kg, P < 0.001) as well as staple length (19.6 vs. 16.3 cm, P < 0.001). Fibre diameter at first shearing tended to be lower in crossbreds (24.2 vs. 25.9 m, P = 0.088) and was lower at second shearing (29.2 vs. 31.5 m, P < 0.05). Med fibre percentage (proportion of fibres with a medulla less than 60% of its diameter) was lower in crossbreds at first (1.70 vs. 4.12%, P < 0.05) and second shearing (1.86 vs. 3.01%, P < 0.05). Kemp fibre percentages (proportion of fibres with a medulla equal or larger than 60% of its diameter) were very low and not significantly different between genotypes. There was no difference in visual assessment of fibre fineness but the proportion of progeny classed as superior for overall quality was much higher in crossbreds (39/52 vs. 99/290, P < 0001). It was suggested to monitor later life performance of crossbreds and it is concluded that the introduction of Texan Angora bucks improved Tajik goats. Further improvement may be based on cooperative breeding of Texan progeny and outstanding local goats on one site and distribution to multipliers in different communities.