Possible Sheep and Wool Research Projects
Supervisor: Professor David Cottle
Interests: Sheep nutrition and wool characteristics selective grazing behaviour feed conversion efficiency livestock systems and decision support tools quantitative traits for sheep production genotype by environment interaction relative value of wool traits wool supply chains.
Sheep nutrition and wool characteristics
Title: Is more fleece weight without higher diameter possible?
Co supervisor: L Kahn
Summary: Design of feed rations for Sharlea sheep aimed at economic production of superfine wool
Title: Wool quality in dual purpose/meat merinos
Co supervisor R Mortimer Centre Plus
Summary: Using @Risk Gross Margin spreadsheets to compare the economic performance of different dual purpose sheep enterprises, e.g. Centre Plus and Dohnes.
Selective grazing behaviour
Title: Sheep feeding preferences
Co supervisor: A Nicol, Lincoln University
Summary: Sheep prefer to graze a mix of 70% clover: 30% grass when given free choice. Paradoxically, sheep which have a higher preference for clover can have lower clover (and protein) intakes as they may initially overgraze the clover. Dietary preference has a genetic component. Projects will study sheep dietary preferences versus their nutritional requirements and their possible incorporation into sheep and pasture breeding programs.
Feed conversion efficiency
Title: Feed efficiency and methane modeling - metabolic pathways- gene expression
Co supervisors: NSWDPI staff
Summary: Feed costs for maintenance are over 60% of the feed requirements of a flock/herd. Feed costs make up about 60% of production costs with protein and energy accounting for 90% of feed costs. Projects may include modelling the effects of management practices on methane production on farms to improve the maintenance efficiency of flocks/herds, studying the effects of feeding regimes on a range of metabolites (leptin, leptin binding proteins, adiponectin, Ghrelin, GLP-1, resistin, insulin, neuropeptides and hormones) in sheep with high and low breeding values for maintenance feed efficiency and developing models to describe variance in feed efficiency due to environmental and genetic influences.
Livestock systems and decision support tools
Title: Use of decision support tools, e.g. Grassgro3, SGS Pasture
Co supervisors: D Lamb, L Kahn (AIMS), K Mochany, (CSIRO PI), I Johnson (IMJ)
Summary: Case studies on Northern Tablelands properties and/or model development, e.g. incorporating FD, SS/SL/style, remote sensing validation, potential impacts of over grazing on soil parameters, nutrient loss and subsequent recovery, fodder crops, climate parameters/drenching impacts on internal parasite loads and stocking rate and grazing management choices.
Title: Managing spatial variability for increased pasture and livestock productivity in high rainfall grazing systems
Co supervisors: D Lamb, C Guppy, L Kahn (AIMS), C Walker (Incitec Pivot)
Summary: Refine protocols for acquisition and processing of remote- and proximally-sensed precision agriculture data relevant to livestock/pasture systems. Evaluate, then select, a range of decision support tools for integration of spatial data. Integrate biophysical sensing with productivity modeling and economic analyses. Precision management of fertiliser applications in livestock farming systems based on a suite of data collection and decision support tools (contingent on external funding).
Title: Livestock production systems
Co supervisor: P Parnell, NSWDPI
Summary: Comparison of low, medium and high input beef and sheep systems (using new white clover and birdsfoot trefoil species and fertilizer) on collaborating co-learner farms. Development of user-friendly environmental benchmarks and bio-economic analyses of nil to high input systems for Northern Tableland producers.
Quantitative traits for sheep production
Title: New England Merino sire evaluation
Summary: Assessment of the progeny of fine wool rams (outliers/extremes for bare crutch, muscle Merino, high SGA EBV for wool-meat-reproduction-disease measured for standard and non-standard traits, e.g. feed efficiency, feed selectivity (pen feeding), temperament (box flight), stayability via conformation traits, drought tolerance (leptin etc.).
Title: Information Nucleus Flocks wool traits
Summary: Data from the Sheep CRC's information nucleus flocks will be explored for relationships between traits, the physiological basis of any relationships and implications for applied breeding programs.
Genotype by environment interactions
Title: Genotype by environment interaction corrections
Co supervisor: D Brown, AGBU
Summary: Classifying sheep grazing environments using various data, e.g. spatial data and studying the use of environmental classes in Sheep Genetics Australia breeding value analyses of wool traits.
Relative value of wool traits
Title: Wool Market segmentation
Co supervisor: S Champion, Meat and Wool NZ
Summary: Analysis of relative economic values for wool in different product process groupings and their changes over time and between countries.
Wool supply chains
Title: Direct wool supply chains
Co supervisor: R Thirkell-Johnston, ASWGA
Summary: Critical success factors in wool supply chains, using ASWGA as a test case.
Title: Wool Metrology projects
Co supervisor: T Mahar, AWTA
Summary: Metrology projects conducted in consultation with the Australian Wool Testing Authority.
Title: Virtual classer - case studies
Co supervisor: S Semple, NSWDPI
Summary: Using Virtual Classer software on wool clips to compare actual and optimized clip preparation practices.