SFF Project Summary

In search of resilience: Winning against Worms

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Final Report: 19 August 2004

Project Description

This project aims to develop a practical on-farm test for resilience, where animals require minimal drenches, show good growth, fleece weight and minimal dags when subjected to a continuous challenge with nematode parasites at pasture. The test must be practical in terms of labour cost, and be ethically-acceptable (especially for care to the less-resilient animals). Research work by AgResearch will be extended in developing a methodology to record and then select animals for resilience within a research environment.

Elite resilient sires will be identified from at least 200 sires to be tested over 3 Years. The animals descended from these elite sires will be used in our breeders' flocks and for commercial sale to the low-chemical and organic markets, and also to farmers with drench-resistance problems, via rams or semen.

The concepts will be marketed via Field-days in Years 2 and 3.

The MAF funding began on July 1 2001, and will continue for three years.

Opportunity

Control of nematode parasites is the #1 constraint to the growth of low-chemical and organic sheep farming systems. About 60% of NZ sheep farms have drench-resistance to at least one drench family at present. This project aims to identify elite resilient Romney sires for potential use in these systems.

Progress to Date

6 May 2004

1. We convened a joint meeting of the two Breeding Groups (15 Romney ram breeders, comprising the Auckland Romney Development Group and the Wairarapa Romney Improvement Group) in August 2001 to co-ordinate the detailed plans to be carried out on our "Winning against Worms" Project over three years.

2. A budgeting system to take care of the incoming and outgoing funds for this project has been set up at AgResearch, Ruakura.

3. Decisions have been made as to which Romney rams will be used to provide "benchmarks" or reference sires for mating in March 2002, 2003 and 2004, linking our two Group together, and linking our flocks to the AgResearch Resilient-selected and Control Lines as well.

4. Birth data have been recorded each year (2001-2003) during August and September as part of our normal on-farm routine.

5. We have collected two years of individual data on lambs (born in 2001 and 2002) to indicate their Resilience to an internal parasite challenge. These data were also used to progeny-test their sires for Resilience.

6. In Year 3 (n = 8000 lambs from the 2003 lamb crop), we continued recording Resilience traits in lambs. We also liaised with SFF Project 01/042 with Lincoln University, who have been evaluating a DNA test for the level of allergic reaction in Merinos (to footrot); since resistance to parasites is also an allergic reaction, there is a chance that this DNA test may also fulfil a role here. We have thus collected samples for the Lincoln test, and recorded Resistance (faecal egg count, FEC) this year on a random half (n = 4000) of the lambs recorded for Resilience.

7. Interest from AgResearch staff in our project, because of the addition of FEC records in 2003/04, has led to our providing blood samples from 3000 of the same sheep to AgResearch this year, so that they can evaluate a new test at Wallaceville for 'Resistance of sheep to parasites'.

8. AgResearch staff are presently engaged in analysing the large amounts of data collected in 2003/04, and combining it with the previous two years of data.