Biodiversity and selection in Italian Frisian and Italian Simmental cows.

Supervisor: Bruno Stefanon (UniUD)

Animal efficiency of the dairy herd is an important factor for the economic success of the cattle owners. Today animal efficiency means not only reproductive success and high milk production traits, but also complex of other important traits such as efficient energy extraction from the diet, fewer excretions of nutrients in manure and less affection to the stressful environment. All these parameters affect both economic and environmental profitability of the farm. Also in poultry, pig, beef and fish production systems these traits deserve increasing attention and are now considered for selection progress. 
In this context understanding of genetic basis undergoing animal welfare and stress resistance in dairy cattle is of great importance, not only for productive purposes but also to meet public concern. Moreover, the importance of selection of most efficient animals is increased with the recent phenomenon of drop in milk price, increase of operational and production costs which led to a lower competitiveness of small and medium farms and inevitable gradual reduction in the number of herds.
The present research project is aimed at the improvement of the economic and environmental sustainability of dairy farms in the North districts of Italy (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto) and Slovenia where milk production has a long history and as such has become a part of the culture of the area. The project intends to gain a better understanding of genetic and molecular aspects of individual differences in animal resilience and energetic efficiency of metabolism in Simmental and Frisian dairy cattle and to identify new biological markers that can be later applied in selection schemes. 
To perform the research the up-to-date technics will be applied (HTS genotyping, RNAseq, Real Time PCR, Western Blot, ELISA, DNA/RNA extractions, cell culture).
Fundings: This research program has been financed within a research project: Interreg Programme for border cooperation Italy/Slovenia 2007/2013 entitled “Bellimpresa” (scientific leader prof. Bruno Stefanon and PRIN Gen2Phen project, funded by Italian Ministry of University).

Biography and contacts

Nataliya Pošćić was graduated with Honors (2009) and completed her first PhD (2012) in Animal Science at Russian State Agrarian University – MTAA named after K.A. Timiryazev (Russian Federation). During her studies she completed MAST International Program (University of Minnesota, USA), twice received the scholarship of the President of the Russian Federation and spent one year as an international scholar in the laboratory of animal genetics & molecular biology, University of Udine (Italy). Since 2014 she is following a PhD school “Agriculture Science and Biotechnology” at the University of Udine.

poscic.nataliya@spes.uniud.it

[Phone 0432558573]