Weekly neWsWrap
SouthAfrica’sindigenousfull-
red Fuji Royal apple variety
has been made commercially
available by the South African
Plant Improvement Organisation.
The Fuji Royal was one of
three new apple varieties for
which Tru-Cape obtained plant
breeders’ rights (PBR) in the last
quarter of 2018. The company
received PBR for the cultivars
Shortie, Fuji Royal and Flash
Gala. Fuji Royal is jointly owned
by Tru-Cape and apple grower
Robert Zulch from Ceres.
Zulch, an apple producer from
Wakkerstroom in the Witzenberg
Valley, and Buks Nel, Tru-Cape’s
new-variety expert, found two
full-red mutations of the Fuji
Royal cultivar in 2011. The first
large-scale commercial plantings
will be undertaken later this year.
There were always new
developments in the apple
industry, said Nel. “We evaluate
new apple varieties all the time
in our four evaluation orchards,”
he said. – Annelie ColemanapplesNew Fuji Royal
apple variety
now available
20 farmer’sweekly 23 August 2019
Therolethatgeneticsplayinthe
production of beef is very important,
and with advanced technology such
as DNA testing, DNA markers can be
used as additional information source
when estimating breeding values.
This was according to Dr Helena
Theron, a geneticist at SA Stud Book,
who spoke about the role that genetics
played in beef production at the
recent Limpopo Red Meat Producers’
Organisation Congress in Modimolle.
Theron said the era of precision
breeding had arrived in cattle
production, and efficiency was the
new buzzword. She spoke about the
history of selection for breeding,andsaidthatbreedingusedto
be based on visual selection, and
recorded production traits initially
included only birth dates to indicate
the fertility of the farmers’ cows.
“Today, selection is a lot more
advanced, and production values
include carcass traits measured on live
animals, cow efficiency, feed efficiency
and adaptability, among others.”
She added that selecting cattle based
on their genes could result in genetic
correlations that caused unintentional
changes in other traits that were not
selected for. For example, selecting for
heavier weaning weights could result
in higher birthweights, which could,in turn, result in calving difficulties.
She said it was very important to
never select for only a single trait.
BLUP breeding values showed
the amount of energy a cow
used to produce meat.
“[With technology], it is now
possible to connect markers on the
DNA and the traits measured on the
animal. This marker information
is used as additional information
when estimating breeding values.”
She also said that the selection
of bulls was one of a farmer’s most
important decisions, as the impact of
a single bull could be evident in the
herd for many years. – Pieter DempseybreedingTechnology to advance breeding selection
Theoutlookforthered
meat industry is positive,
despite the challenges facing
the industry, said Gerhard
Schutte, CEO of the Red Meat
Producers’ Organisation.
Schutte was speaking at the
recent Limpopo Red Meat
Producers’ Organisation
(LimRPO) Congress, held in
Modimolle. While he admitted
there were several challenges
facing the industry, he added that
its overall outlook was positive.
One of the challenges
facing the industry was the
profit margins of abattoirs.
“If I look at the red meat
industry, the margins in
the abattoir industry are
definitely under pressure,”
he said. He added that over
the past few years, around
100 abattoirs either closed down
or changed their names.
He said that while red meat
consumption was currently below
production, the consumption
of meat was expected to
increase over the next eight
years, with beef consumption
expectedtogrow24%by2027,
chicken consumption 27% and
lamb and mutton by 11%.
Meanwhile, Dr Henk Visser,
outgoing chairperson of
LimRPO, said the drought had
a wide impact on farmers.
Cattle farmers were hit
particularly hard, with
feed prices increasing and
cattle prices dropping.
On the issue of the foot-and-
mouth disease (FMD) outbreak
earlier this year, Visser said the
discovery of FMD outside the
controlled area in the province
also had a significant impact on
the industry and the economy.
“[However], most of our export
lines are open again [and] animal
products can be exported to
China with certain conditions.”
The World Organisation for
Animal Health suspended South
Africa’s FMD-free status after
the outbreak, and Visser added
that the relevant authorities were
still in communication with
the organisation regarding the
reinstatement of South Africa’s
free status. – Pieter Dempseyred MeatThe future of the red meat industry
is ‘bright’