History of creation, current state and prospects of breeding Alatau cattle breed

Abstract

In recent years, local populations of cattle in the Republic of Kazakhstan have been largely replaced by highly productive breeds, which has led to a significant reduction in the number of native breeds. One of such breeds is the Alatau breed of cattle, bred in 1950 by crossing local Kazakh cattle with Schwyz bulls brought to Kazakhstan by immigrants from Russia. From the moment of approbation, the breed was widely spread in southeastern Kazakhstan forhalf a century (untill 2000). However, with the restructuring of the republic’s agro-industrial complex, the breeding base of the Alatau breed underwent a number of quantitative and qualitative changes, leading to a declinein all key indicators. This situation was further exacerbated by the lack of targeted breeding programs, selection efforts, and the production and use of breeding bulls from within the population. Due to the lack of genetic material for reproduction of Alatau breed, the active importation of Schwyz bull semen from the United States began , followed by its widespread use in breeding stock. As a result, the currentbreeding base of Alatau cattle consists entirely of crossbred animals with a high proportion of Schwyz genetics . This raises concerns about the complete absorption of the breed by foreign genetics and the risk of its complete disappearance. In the article the world tendencies of preservation of of indigenous and local livestock breeds of agricultural animals, their importance in the world biological diversity and also sustainable management of breeding resources of Kazakhstan are given. Based on archival and modern literary sources, the article outlines the history of Alatau breed breeding, its current state and science-based technologies for their revival. Object and purpose of research: The object of research was Alatau cattle breed, which is on the verge of extinction due to its genetic absorption by the American bred Schwyz cattle. The aim of the research was to provide a comprehensive review of the history of Alatau breed breeding, current state, reasons for the reduction in the number of purebred cattle, proposals for the preservation of the breed and prospects for its development.