applsci-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Advances in Breeding in Agricultural and Animal Science

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2024) | Viewed by 4931

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada
Interests: animal breeding and genomics; computational genomics; genomic selection; whole-genome association analyses; bioinformatics; identification of genes; gene networks; genetic evaluation and improvement of animals; estimation of genetic and phenotypic parameters required for genetic evaluations; mink genomics

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Land Use, Engineering and Precision Farming Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: agrotechnology; crop production; ecophysiological parameters; fertilization; plant stress physiology; precision farming; precision nutrient management; soil conservation; yield stability; yield quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Food and Environmental Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Interests: molecular biology; biotic and abiotic stress; plant–microbe interaction; plant developmental biology; agroecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Land Use, Engineering and Precision Farming Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: animal science; plant breeding; plant science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Animals and plants are bred to produce specific characteristics or qualities. Breeding is carried out for a variety of reasons. Consider these points:

  • Breeding for companion animals or conservation: Selected breeding is the process of improving a specific quality in animals or plants. For instance, dog breeders select dogs based on their size, coat type, and temperament. Additionally, through conservation breeding, endangered species are reintroduced.
  • Breeding for agriculture: Commercial breeding occurs when animals or plants are bred for a specific purpose, such as increased milk yield for cows or disease resistance for crops. Using plant and animal breeding to produce desirable characteristics involves the controlled mating of plants and animals. The quality of meat, the quantity of milk, the growth rate, and disease resistance are all traits to consider when breeding livestock. Plant breeders improve yields, drought resistance, disease resistance, and nutritional content. In addition to plant breeding, agricultural breeding can refer to livestock breeding. It is a discipline where biology, genetics, and agriculture come together.
  • Techniques for breeding: Parents are selected from a population based on the ability to identify and choose the best individuals to raise the next generation. Selected breeding is a method of combining genetically different traits by crossing two individuals. Genetic variability can be created by inducing mutations with chemicals or radiation. Using biotechnology, such as CRISPR and other gene-editing techniques, genetic engineering involves directly manipulating an organism's genes. Without phenotypic evaluations, plants or animals can be identified with desired traits through marker-assisted selection (MAS).

Plant breeding has the following specific objectives: to increase grain production, fruit production, or biomass production, which is called yield improvement; to obtain plants that are adapted to non-living stress conditions, such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures, which can be achieved by breeding for resistance to these conditions; to enhance the nutritional quality, taste, texture, and other desirable characteristics of products to meet consumers' needs; and to increase the shelf life of agricultural products so that they can be stored for longer.

In animal breeding, there are several specific objectives: It is important to produce animals that grow faster and more efficiently in terms of growth rate and efficiency, as well as to enhance the production of milk, meat, and eggs in quantity or quality. In livestock breeding, disease resistance refers to breeding animals resistant to specific diseases. An animal that exhibits a certain behavior is chosen over one that is docile and easy to handle.

Aspects of economics and business: Plant varieties that are genetically modified or specially bred may be protected by patents or rights. Crops and animals are bred according to market demands or trends.

Genetics and biotechnology have made agricultural breeding a dynamic field that continues to evolve with advances in knowledge and technology. Any breeding program should consider ethical considerations.

Dr. Younes Miar
Dr. Adrienn Széles
Dr. Ramin Bahmani
Dr. Seyed Mohammad Nasir Mousavi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plant breeding
  • animal breeding
  • genetic
  • biotechnology
  • selective breeding
  • breeding programs
  • crop production
  • genotype–environment interaction

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 2045 KiB  
Article
Application of Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing for Breeding of Meat Pigeons
by Ruiyuan Gao, Haobin Hou, Suwei Zheng, Xiaoliang Wang, Weixing Ding, Yingying Tu, Xianyao Li, Changsuo Yang, Xiaohui Shen and Junfeng Yao
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1640; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031640 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 635
Abstract
The aims of this study were to assess the correlation of breast muscle thickness (BMT) with the breast muscle weight (BMW), body weight (BW), breast width, and breast depth (BD) of meat pigeons, and to explore the feasibility of ultrasonic nondestructive testing (UNDT) [...] Read more.
The aims of this study were to assess the correlation of breast muscle thickness (BMT) with the breast muscle weight (BMW), body weight (BW), breast width, and breast depth (BD) of meat pigeons, and to explore the feasibility of ultrasonic nondestructive testing (UNDT) for non-invasive measurements of BMT. It has been proven that using ultrasonic nondestructive testing specifically for evaluating the pectoral musculature yield in other poultry species such as Peking ducks and Yangzhou geese is feasible. The BMT of Carneau and Silver King pigeons (n = 103 each; age, 28 days) was measured at two points by UNDT. The correlation between the BMT at two points and BMW was analyzed. The results demonstrated that the correlation coefficients between BMT at point A and BMW were 0.907 and 0.897 in Carneau and Silver King pigeons, respectively, with significant regression relationships (p < 0.01). Variety and sex had little effect on BMT measurements. Six optimal univariate linear regression equations were established. The regression relationship was very significant, as determined by the F-test (p < 0.01), indicating an actual regression relationship between the variables of each equation and that UNDT can be applied for the breeding of meat pigeons. This represents the first application of ultrasonic nondestructive testing specifically for evaluating pectoral musculature yield in pigeons intended for meat production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Breeding in Agricultural and Animal Science)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2140 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Cytokinin on the Multiplication Efficiency and Genetic Stability of Scutellaria baicalensis Regenerants in In Vitro Culture Conditions
by Magdalena Dyduch-Siemińska and Jacek Gawroński
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 4791; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14114791 - 31 May 2024
Viewed by 795
Abstract
The efficiency and method of regeneration in in vitro culture conditions depend primarily on the plant growth regulators (PGRs) used. Even growth regulators belonging to one group may have different effects, stimulating the process of direct or indirect organogenesis, thus possibly disturbing the [...] Read more.
The efficiency and method of regeneration in in vitro culture conditions depend primarily on the plant growth regulators (PGRs) used. Even growth regulators belonging to one group may have different effects, stimulating the process of direct or indirect organogenesis, thus possibly disturbing the genetic stability among regenerants. The main aim of this study was to identify the genetic stability of Scutellaria baicalensis regenerates obtained by in vitro culture method using start codon targeted (ScoT) markers. S. baicalensis nodal explants were regenerated on MS medium supplemented with kinetin (KIN) at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg × dm−3 or benzylaminopurine (BAP)—0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg × dm−3. The effects of the number of propagated shoots, length, number of nodes, and fresh mass of regenerants were assessed. Moreover, the genetic stability of the regenerants was analyzed using start codon targeted (SCoT) markers. Direct shoot organogenesis was observed on an MS medium containing kinetin, while indirect shoot induction occurred on an MS medium supplemented with BAP. The highest average number of shoots (3.6) was achieved for the MS + KIN medium at a concentration of 0.25 and 5.8 for the MS + BAP 1.0 medium. The average length and average number of nodes were the highest on the MS + BAP 0.25 medium (50.0 and 6.0, respectively), while the lowest values of these features were observed on the MS + KIN 2.0 medium (40.3 and 4.9, respectively). A total of 111 amplified bands were exhibited by SCoT primers. Three of the analyzed primers revealed four unique genotype-specific markers. The average percentage of polymorphism obtained was 36.7%. The analysis of genetic similarity revealed a high level of genetic similarity between the donor plant and regenerants obtained on MS “0” (medium without the addition of phytohormones). A slightly lower value of genetic similarity was observed for regenerants obtained by direct organogenesis (MS + KIN medium at all concentrations). Indirect shoot organogenesis observed on the MS + BAP medium (all concentrations) resulted in the highest differentiation, both in relation to the donor plant and MS “0” regenerants. The results of our work indicate that, in the case of S. baicalensis, the maintenance of genetic stability depends primarily on the presence of the cytokinin type in the medium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Breeding in Agricultural and Animal Science)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

11 pages, 567 KiB  
Review
The Progress in Treatment of β-Thalassemia and Research on Animal Models of the Disease
by Shumeng Zhang, Zexia Dong, Wenhao Yan, Wenjing Wang, Yangli Pei and Zheng Feng
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1661; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031661 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 985
Abstract
β-thalassemia is one of the most prevalent single-gene recessive disorders worldwide, characterized by the impaired synthesis of β-globin chains, which leads to ineffective erythropoiesis and results in anemia and iron overload, along with various complications. Therefore, establishing animal models that closely resemble β-thalassemia [...] Read more.
β-thalassemia is one of the most prevalent single-gene recessive disorders worldwide, characterized by the impaired synthesis of β-globin chains, which leads to ineffective erythropoiesis and results in anemia and iron overload, along with various complications. Therefore, establishing animal models that closely resemble β-thalassemia is essential for studying the pathogenesis and treatment of this disease. This article reviews the molecular mechanisms underlying β-thalassemia; highlights the research advancements of several common clinical treatment methods; and provides a summary of prevalent animal models of β-thalassemia, including mice, rabbits, and cynomolgus monkeys. Although the mouse model reproduces certain pathological characteristics of β-thalassemia, it is limited in its ability to correct specific gene mutations, making it less effective for certain aspects of the disease. In contrast, the rabbit model, which more closely resembles human physiology, offers an improved approximation. Furthermore, the cynomolgus monkey model outperforms both the mouse and rabbit models in exhibiting the severe phenotype of β-thalassemia, thanks to its notable genetic and physiological similarities to humans. This article aims to provide a comprehensive reference for researchers conducting animal experimental studies in relation to β-thalassemia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Breeding in Agricultural and Animal Science)
Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 2535 KiB  
Review
Breeding of Camels in Europe: Between Continuity and Innovation
by Ahana Maitra, Carlos Iglesias Pastrana, Bernard Faye, Pamela Burger and Elena Ciani
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1644; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031644 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1721
Abstract
Camel breeding in Europe has undergone significant changes, intertwining historical continuity with modern innovation. Historically, dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) and Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus), played essential roles in Roman logistics, medieval rituals, and agriculture, leaving archeological and cultural footprints across Europe. [...] Read more.
Camel breeding in Europe has undergone significant changes, intertwining historical continuity with modern innovation. Historically, dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) and Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus), played essential roles in Roman logistics, medieval rituals, and agriculture, leaving archeological and cultural footprints across Europe. Following a decline during the Middle Ages, camels were largely confined to exotic collections. However, the past few decades have witnessed a resurgence in camel farming, primarily driven by tourism and the demand for camel milk, with an estimated 5000–6000 camels now present in Europe. Despite their adaptability to harsh climates and nutritional advantages, the sector faces challenges such as small population sizes, fragmented breeding efforts, and the absence of regulatory frameworks tailored to camels. Advances in genomic tools, including genome-wide association studies and SNP genotyping, have created opportunities for the genetic management of camels in Europe, yet also reveal concerns about low genetic diversity stemming from founder effects. Addressing these issues requires coordinated international efforts, standardized phenotype recording, and enhanced welfare guidelines. With climate change highlighting the resilience of camels to arid environments, their potential as sustainable livestock remains promising. This review underscores the balance between preserving the historical legacy of camels in Europe and fostering their integration into contemporary agricultural systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Breeding in Agricultural and Animal Science)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop