Perspectives for an economic utilization of the saddleback pig - PERSA
Development of innovative breeding and feeding strategies for the preservation and utilization of valuable breed traits - robustness, maternalism, meat quality and roughage utilization
Project description
The Angler Saddlebred Pig and the German Saddlebred Pig belong to the endangered breeds of livestock. If they die out, genetic diversity is lost with them, which could be important for breeding in the future. The aim of the project is to develop perspectives for the economic use of saddle pigs in order to ensure the survival of the breed.
The focus is on optimizing product quality, using resources as sustainably as possible, and strengthening marketing options. To this end, various research approaches will be pursued: Genomic analyses as a basis for developing breeding strategies, on-farm studies to obtain data for evaluating robustness and maternal traits, and investigation of feeding concepts and fattening performance in conjunction with optimization of the “profeed s” feeding program for roughage feeding. Feeding trials will also investigate the use of roughage and the relationship with meat quality.