PRECISION OF DESCENT CONTROL IN CATTLE BY USING DNA-FINGERPRINTING

For the precision of individual and descent control different calculat ions were carried out by DNA-fingerprinting using the probe (GTG)5. Th e investigations based on a model population whose offsprings included 32 per cent of the total population of German Friesians in the catchm ent area of the ZEH (Zuchtrinder Erzeugergemeinschaft Hannover). The p robability for the occurrence of an identical DNA-fingerprint within t he population investigated varied between 9.76 x 10(-7) (JEFFREYS et a l., 1985) and 4.31 x 10(-5) (LAPLACE, 1812) depending on the different ways of calculations. The precision of a descent control by DNA-finge rprint amounts on the average 97 per cent. However, these results vari ed obviously dependent on the frequency of informative bands. Addition ally, three male half-sibling groups (German Friesian) and ten differe nt breeds were investigated in regard to similar DNA-fingerprints. Bas ed on 564 data files the correlation between additive genetic relation ship and band-sharing was calculated. Animals of one breed that are no t related due to their pedigrees showed an unexpectedly high band-shar ing probability of 42.5 per cent.