Question

By which method was a new breed of `Hissardale' of sheep formed by using Bikaneri ewes and Merino rams?
A) Mutational breeding
B) Crossbreeding
C) Inbreeding
D) Outcrossing

Answer 1

Hint: Hissardale is a breed of sheep that was formed by crossing Bikaneri ewes and Merino rams. The Magra sheep which is also known as Bikaneri Chokhla or Chakri and was formerly known as the Bikaneri is the only lustrous carpet wool-producing breed while merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, which is characterized by very fine and soft wool.

Complete answer:
Rams of other Merino breeds have long, spiral horns that grow close to the head, whereas the ewes are usually hornless. A breeding program is aimed to improve the desired breed through the process of selection.

Mutation breeding, which is also called "variation breeding", is the process of exposing seeds to chemicals or radiation in order to produce mutants with desirable traits to be bred with other cultivars to produce mutations. This is not the method that was used to produce hissardale.

Crossbreeding is the process of producing offspring by mating two purebred individuals but come from different breeds, varieties, or even species. This is usually done when the desired traits would be beneficial to the offspring, where its biological fitness can be enhanced.

Inbred is the production of offspring from the mating or by breeding individuals that are closely related genetically. Since Bikaneri ewes and merino rams are not genetically related, hissardale was not produced by this method.

Out-crossing or also called out-breeding is the technique of crossing between entirely different breeds. It helps in increasing genetic diversity, thereby reducing the probability of an individual being subject to disease or genetic abnormalities, which was not the method used to produce hissardale.

Therefore, the correct option is option ‘B’.

Note: A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or even populations. Crossbreeding is also called ‘’designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism. Irresponsible cross-breeding can produce organisms of inferior quality or can dilute a purebred gene pool to the point of extinction of a given breed of the organism.