New research may help pork producers link specific boars to disease susceptibility and congenital defects, such as hernias and retained testicles, in their pigs.
The sheer number of pigs on each farm makes it difficult to track parentage, let alone link health problems to a specific sire. Often the semen of several sires is pooled and sold to commercial pork producers, elevating the task from difficult to impossible. Results from the first phase of a research project show that DNA technology is an effective way to trace lineage.
The sheer number of pigs on each farm makes it difficult to track parentage, let alone link health problems to a specific sire. Often the semen of several sires is pooled and sold to commercial pork producers, elevating the task from difficult to impossible. Results from the first phase of a research project show that DNA technology is an effective way to trace lineage.