Technology information

This section contains articles on the technology of artificial breeding and artificial insemination.

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All articles © Copyright Genetics Australia 1997-2005

Better heat detection (241K)
Hints for better heat detection

Beware of insemination short cuts (262K)
Some short cuts, such as quick thawing and straw splitting, just aren't worth the risk.

Calving Ease (69K)
Calving ease is an issue of concern to most dairy farmers. Over the past four years Sara McClintock has investigated the causes and cost of calving difficulties in our dairy herds.

Crossbreeding (103K)
Issues regarding crossbreeding and genetic progress.

Genescreen (156K)
Genescreen is more than just a mating program. It helps track and drive the genetic progress of dairy herds.

The wallaby, the seal and the cow: it's all in the genes (155K)
Lactation characteristics of the wallaby and the seal could provide a genetic opportunity to improve the productivity and output of the dairy cow.

Finding genes for milk production (110K)
Research aims to find genes that are responsible for milk production.

Cloning and other genetic technologies (2 pages, 214K)
A potential revolution in animal breeding.

Marker Assisted Selection (1 page, 192K).
Using DNA technology to select the next generation of sires.

Building tomorrow's cow
Scientists at the Victorian Institute of Animal Science are building tomorrow's cow. Using the latest techniques in biotechnology they are aiming to create cows that produce at least 10% more protein in their milk..

Recent developments in advanced animal biotechnologies
Dolly, Polly, Molly, George and Charlie are not only scientifically important, but herald what promises to be a revolution in animals biotechnologies such as embryo multiplication, cloning and transgenics.

Basic genetics (3 pages, 64K)
A summary of basic genetics, including chromosomes, genes, inheritance, mitosis and meiosis.

Reproductive cycle, fertilisation and embryo development (5 pages, 271K)
Describes how a cow cycles, follicle development, ovulation, embryo development and pregnancy diagnosis, complete with diagrams.

Reproductive organs of cattle (3 pages, 213K)
A description of the reproductive organs of the cow and bull, with full diagrams.

Diseases of major importance to artificial breeding (3 pages, 30K)
Describes diseases that can be spread due to bad insemination technique or poor hygiene.

Existing reproductive technologies (6 pages, 71K)
Existing technologies for cattle breeding include artificial insemination, genetic improvement by using Australian Breeding Values and embryo transfer.

New technologies (4 pages, 51K)
New technologies, such as embryo multiplication and transfer, marker assisted selection, semen sexing and oocyte pick-up, have the potential to be of enormous benefit. Some are only remotely possible at present.

Artificial Insemination (16 pages, 340K)
This article gives a comprehensive review of AI, including heat detection, heat synchronisation, AI techniques and equipment required.

Conventional embryo transfer (7 pages, 70K)
Gives a basic description of embryo transfer, including embryo recovery, transfer and management of recipients.

Production of cattle embryos in the laboratory (in vitro) (3 pages, 31K)
The production of embryos (including fertilisation) in the laboratory.

Embryo multiplication and transfer (cloning) (2 pages, 88K)
Includes diagrams that explain the process of EMT.

Semen and Embryo sexing (6 pages, 93K)
Discusses techniques to control progeny sex in livestock.

Multiplying embryos and altering genes - embryonic stem cells (2 pages, 53K)
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can be multiplied to produce large numbers of embryos.

The Genetics Australia Eureka Program (4 pages, 44K)
A case study of a modern breeding program that makes use of embryo transfer and implantation.

A glossary of terms (10 pages, 80K)
Provides a comprehensive listing of terms used in cattle breeding technologies.