genome breeding questions

[PremierLonghorns]

Hi Everyone,

I have a couple questions relating to breeding for homozygous black cattle. I would appreciate your thoughts.

1. If a cow has an E+/E+ genotype (wild type black coloration) what would I need to breed her to in order to produce a homozygous black ED/ED calf? with what percentages of success?

2. If a cow has an ED/e genotype (dominant black w/recessive red gene), what do I need to breed her to in order to produce a homozygous black ED/ED calf? with what percentages of success?

Thank you

 

[Lucky_P]

Double Helix Ranch has a very good series of articles on coat color inheritance in TxLH online. You'll likely find your answer, and much more, there.

 

[simme]

https://www.texaslonghornconservancy.org/information.htm

Lots of information at this site including info on Longhorn genetics for color and horns including some powerpoint educational material as well as the Double Helix info that Lucky P referred to.

I think the answer is that you cannot get an ED/ED calf from a E+/E+ parent. Interesting is the statement that:
"There are eight different genes that are known to affect coloration in Texas Longhorns, and there are 26,244 different possible genotypic combinations of known alleles that can appear in an individual bull or cow. In addition, there are almost certainly many additional genes that affect color and pattern that have yet to be described, so the number of possible genotypic combinations for color and pattern is almost certainly many times larger. Of course, all of these genotypic combinations do not produce distinctly different color patterns, but this helps to explain why Texas Longhorns are "more varied than the colors of the rainbow."

Even if you breed enough generations to get to homozygous black, what about the spots? Just curious, why the preference for a homozygous black longhorn?