Chinese scientists have successfully cloned six super-high-milk dairy goats in Shaanxi Province, marking the country's first successful mass cloning of such animals and a major breakthrough in dairy goat breeding technology.
The cloning project was led by a research team from Northwest A&F University (NWAFU).
The cloned goats, four males and two females, were bred from high-milk Saanen goats with an average annual milk yield exceeding 2,800 kilograms, Wang Xiaolong, head of the research team, told.
The donor goats also showed significantly better milk fat and protein levels than standard goats, as well as stable reproductive performance, strong environmental adaptability, and good disease resistance.
By utilizing an advanced molecular breeding system that integrates genomic selection and somatic cell cloning, the team precisely isolated high-quality somatic cells and optimized the entire process, from cell line establishment and embryo reconstruction to embryo transfer and pregnancy monitoring, ultimately achieving successful mass cloning.
Compared with traditional breeding methods, which typically take eight to 10 years to produce a superior goat population, cloning technology can significantly shorten the breeding cycle and help overcome industry barriers, such as the slow rate of breeding superior goats, long generation intervals, and difficulties in preserving desirable traits from generation to generation.
Shaanxi, where NWAFU is located, is home to 40 percent of China's dairy goat population and processes 80 percent of the country's goat milk products.
China's 15th Five-Year Plan has committed to building a diversified food supply system, including efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of the livestock industry.
