The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and SCRI joined forces on 1 April 2011 to create The James Hutton Institute. It is the first Institute of its type in Europe and will make major, new contributions to the understanding of key global issues such as food, energy and environmental security.
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Selection criteria and fleece characteristics for the Finn sheep
(by Marja-Leena Puntila, Finland)
1-Definition and choice of selection criteria:
The selection objectives are to develop a wool line for the Finn sheep nucleus flock. Research is orientated towards the quantity and quality of the wool.
The selection criteria are:
Our target is to preserve the special characteristics of Finn sheep wool, such as softness, lightness, fineness, elasticity, lustre and different coloured types (pure black, brown and grey).
2-Measurement of fleece characteristics : objective and non-objective measurement of fibre quality
The objective measurements concern the staple length (cm). The average of three estimates measured by a ruler is taken. The fineness grading is subjective but it corresponds with a crimp frequency per 3 cm, so it is in-between objective and subjective measurements.
The subjective measurements are:
3-Management of the collected data within a breed database
After collection of the data, they are stored on a PC in the state farm by a technician, and sent to the Agricultural Research Centre for analysis.
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