Question

What is cross breeding? Mention any two advantages of cross breed cattle?

Answer 1

Hint:A hybrid is an offspring that results from combining the desired qualities of two organisms belonging to different breeds, varieties, species or genera by the process of sexual reproduction. Hybrids are generally not the intermediates between their parents, but they can show hybrid vigour by sometimes growing taller or larger than either parent.

Complete answer:
A crossbreed is a term used to denote an organism which has purebred parents of two different breeds, populations, or varieties. Crossbreeding is also called designer crossbreeding. It is the process of producing such an organism, usually intending to create an offspring that share the desired traits of both of their parent lineages, or producing an offspring with hybrid vigour.
The process of crossbreeding involves the mating of animals from two different breeds. Typically, breeds are chosen that possess complementary traits to enhance the offsprings’ economic value. Crossbreeding is basically the breeding of two breeds belonging to the same species to create a whole new breed. This process is usually done to produce an offspring with superior traits. Some examples of crossbreeding can be found in many different species all across the world, like dogs, cattle, and horses.
The two advantages of crossbreed animals are:
a.Crossbred animals have a better standard production trait such as milk production, growth rate and production of overall animal protein than normal animals.
b.Improved variety of cattle and other livestock is known to increase production efficiency, and it can reduce the amount of resources and inputs farmers require to invest in livestock production.

Additional Information:
An example of crossbreeding of animals is the crossbreeding of Yorkshire and Duroc breeds of pigs. Yorkshires are known to have acceptable rates of gain in muscle mass, and they produce large litters, while Durocs are very muscular pigs with other proper traits. These breeds are complementary. One other example is Angus and Charolais beef cattle. Angus breed produces a high-quality beef, and Charolais breed is very large. So crossbreeding produces an animal with the desired quality and size.

Note:
Inbreeding is caused by mating animals that are related. Inbreeding is often addressed as “narrowing the genetic base” as the mating of related animals usually results in offspring which have more genes in common. Inbreeding is generally used to concentrate the desirable traits. Mild inbreeding is being used in some breeds of dogs, and it has been extensively used for laboratory mice and rats.