Advances in dairy Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2329-888X
ISSN: 2329-888X
Larissa Bordin Temp*, Ludmilla Costa Brunes, LetÃÂcia Silva Pereira, Sabrina Thaise Amorim, Cláudio Ulhôa Magnabosco, Raysildo Barbosa Lobo, Ovidio Carlos de Brito, Ricardo Viacava, Fernando Baldi
In nature, cattle horns served as a defense mechanism against predators, territorial fights and sexual selection. In modern beef cattle farming, there is a growing effort to reduce the presence of horns to avoid handling-related accidents and economic losses due to leather and muscle tissue damage. Dehorning, a common practice, is not without its drawbacks. It is painful and stressful for the animals, potentially causing economic losses. However, there is hope. Another option is to invest in the selection of naturally polled animals, increasing the incidence of alleles for the polled gene, especially in the Nellore breed. This alternative holds the promise of a more humane and sustainable future for cattle farming. The most accepted model for polled inheritance describes three loci: The first with a dominant polled allele (P) and a recessive horned allele (p); the second, scurs, with development of scurs (Sc) and absence (sc); and the third, African horn locus, with horned (Ha) and polled (ha). However, there are still no studies that fully elucidate the inheritance mechanism and how these alleles interact to determine the polled phenotype, which may be influenced by multiple genes or an oligogenic genetic background. Based on practical field experience acquired in collaboration with Nellore breeders and the phenotypic variation observed in this breed, a novel(?) fourcategory phenotypic system is proposed: polled, polled from horned parents, scurs and horned. This approach aims to reflect observed field experience, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of genetic variations within the Nellore breed and proposing a feasible phenotypic system to assess horn development in Nellore cattle.
Published Date: 2025-01-23; Received Date: 2024-07-06