Interrelationships between recent developments in molecular genetics and cytogenetics and animal breeding

Animal breeding traditionally has entailed devising means to apply quantitative and population genetic theory to increase productive capacity of livestock. A highly developed and successful industry has been built on foundations established by academic animal breeders. Recent developments in related sciences such as reproductive biology, molecular biology, cellular biology, and cytogenetics offer prospects for the emergence of a number of methodologies that might usefully be applied to animal breeding. Scientists engaged in development of the newer technologies are not wholly familiar with the livestock industry, its breeding structure, its objectives, its institutions or its peculiarities. Animal breeders, however, are not fully cognizant of the scientific advances being made in related fields, their potential for development and application or their limitations, and therefore, animal breeders have not seriously thought about how they might be integrated most usefully and efficaciously into the animal breeding enterprise. A collaboration is needed in which the laboratory scientists produce new ideas, products, and methods and the animal breeders--using system analysis, simulation procedures, and laboratory animal and livestock breeding tests--help make rational choices, partially direct work of the laboratory scientists, help the industry integrate new methods, and monitor the extent of success of adapted innovations.