Newly-bred yaks help herders on "roof of world" out of poverty

Source: Xinhua| 2019-07-01 22:18:25|Editor: Yurou
Video PlayerClose

Ashidan yaks bred by researchers from the Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Photo by Yu Fei)

BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Under the touch of the petite scientist Yan Ping, the tall and powerful black yak, weighing over 400 kg, is as obedient as a lamb.

Unlike other yaks, this one has no horns. It is a new breed cultivated by Yan and her team from the Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It is expected to help herdsmen on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "roof of the world," out of poverty.

YAKS WITHOUT HORNS

It took more than 20 years for Yan's team, working with Datong Yak Breeding Farm in northwest China's Qinghai Province, to breed the Ashidan yak, named after the 4,380-meter Ashidan Mountain that looms over the farm.

"The Ashidan yak has no horns and has a mild temperament, so it is easier to keep and feed in stalls," Yan said.

"It is better suited to large-scale intensive breeding in the cold and arid alpine areas of China. We can make full use of the feed resources in alpine and semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau."

Traditionally, yaks are grazed seasonally on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Grazing, supplementary feeding and whole house feeding can be combined to increase yak production in all seasons, said Yan.

Naturally, about 6 percent or 7 percent of yaks in Qinghai have no horns and these were selected for the breeding program. Scientists identified the genes related to horns and cultivated the Ashidan using molecular breeding technology. Each Ashidan has a similar physique and appearance, and they are genetically stable, said Yan.

Under the same feed conditions, the average reproductive survival rate of the Ashidan yak is 59.98 percent, 11.72 percentage points higher than local yaks, and mortality is 1.24 percent, 4.32 percentage points lower, according to the research team.

The Ashidan yak was also bred to improve meat production. Almost 4,000 male Ashidan yaks have been introduced to Qinghai farms to improve the stock.

Statistics show that the average weight of the Ashisan at 18-months is 92.77 kg, 24.71 percent heavier than local yaks.

Yan Ping (3rd, left) leads her team to conduct the yak breeding research at Datong Yak Breeding Farm in Qinghai Province. (Photo by Yu Fei)

MOTHERLY LOVE

Yan, who has spent 35 years on the plateau studying yak breeding, looks on the Ashidan like a mother and says the animal is pretty.

"When the yaks walk, their long fur sways in the wind like a skirt," Yan said.

When Yan entered the Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1984, she was assigned to the yak research team. Her first research subject became her lifelong career.

On the Qinghai Datong Yak Breeding Farm, Yan saw yaks for the first time. During 1980s, conditions on the farm were hard, with no electricity or running water.

Yan would spend more than half a year at a time there, domesticating wild yaks and observing and measuring. She stayed with herding families, recording the yaks' growth. She often tracked yaks for hours at an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 meters.

She lost count of how many times the yaks injured her, but she never gave up.

Over the past 35 years, her footprints have been left all over grazing areas in Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu.

Yan has also taught herders new techniques in building barns and replacing stud yaks, and explained the risks of over-grazing and over-milking.

In 2005, Yan led her team to cultivate the Datong yak breed, which contains the genes of wild yaks.

"Yaks lived on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau before humans. Tibetans domesticated yaks 8,000 years ago. Yaks are the means of production and the totem of people on the plateau," said Yan.

"I study and love yaks because of their toughness, bravery and hard work, which are precious qualities. Yak-breeding on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a long cycle of time-consuming and energy-consuming research. We need the spirit of the yak to respond to the difficulties and challenges in our research," she said.

The newly-bred Ashidan yaks at Datong Yak Breeding Farm in Qinghai Province. (Photo by Yu Fei)

NEW HOPE

The Datong yaks have been introduced to many pastoral areas in Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Gansu, covering about 75 percent of all the yak-producing areas in China, and played an important role in improving husbandry on the plateau.

The Ashidan yaks will be introduced to more pastoral areas to provide an alternative for herders, increase their incomes and help alleviate poverty.

Long Chunhua, a herder of the Tu ethic group in Qinghai, is raising more than 200 Ashidan yaks.

"My parents were herders. Most of the yaks they raised had long and hard horns. Those yaks were mainly raised free range, and were difficult to keep in stalls," said Long.

"But the Ashidan yaks are docile, grow faster and are easier to raise. Every year they can bring us an income of 120,000 to 130,000 yuan (about 18,917 U.S. dollars)."

At present, the number of Ashidan yaks cannot meet demand. "We need to use molecular breeding technology and new reproduction technology, excavate potential functional genes of yaks, and improve the efficiency of propagation," said Yan.

The breeding of new varieties can prevent yak degeneration, improve production, promote scientific husbandry, and help herders shake off poverty, she added.

KEY WORDS:
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011100001381899431
彩神彩票 大发app 凤凰彩票app 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发彩票 乐发彩票app下载 大发彩票 乐发v官网 乐发lll 乐发lv入口 乐发iv首页 乐发ll登录 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发官网 乐发ii下载入口 乐发ll 乐发v平台 乐发v官网 乐发lll 乐发lv入口 乐发iv首页 乐发ll登录 乐发lv 乐发lll安装 乐发lv 乐发登录入口 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票登录 网信彩票 彩神 彩神彩票官方网站 彩神彩票官网首页 彩神官方app下载安卓版 凤凰彩票登录 彩神v3 凤凰彩票app下载 彩神官方app下载安卓版 网信快三 一分快3 快三彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票官方 快3官网 网信彩票 快3app 网信彩票平台 百姓彩票平台 网信平台官网 快3app下载 百姓彩票 每日彩票 快3app 百姓彩票 每日彩票 快3app 百姓彩票平台 幸运5分彩快3 快3彩票app下载 百姓彩票网站网址 大发10分PK10 快3下载 网信彩票平台 网信平台官网 快3彩票官网app 凤凰彩票官方 彩神彩票 大发10分PK10 彩神v3 大发彩票app下载 百姓彩票网站网址 彩神购彩平台 每日彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 彩神彩票购彩平台 百姓彩票 凤凰彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票app下载 彩神官方app下载安卓版 网信快三 一分快3 快三彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票官方 彩神彩票 大发10分PK10 彩神v3 凤凰彩票登录 乐发lv 乐发∨Il 百姓彩票网站网址 乐发彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 乐发lll安装 百姓彩票网站网址 凤凰彩票app下载 大发10分PK10 乐发2 乐发app 凤凰彩票 大发彩票app 乐发登录入口 乐发ll登录 乐发v官网 乐发官网 大发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票购彩平台 彩神彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 一分快3 百姓彩票网站网址 凤凰彩票app下载 大发10分PK10 乐发2 乐发app 凤凰彩票 大发彩票app 乐发登录入口 乐发ll登录 乐发v官网 乐发官网 大发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票购彩平台 彩神彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 1分快三平台 百姓彩票平台 凤凰彩票登录 幸运5分彩快3 彩神 乐发彩票 乐发 大发彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发lv 乐发lll 乐发ii下载入口 乐发彩票官方网站 凤凰彩票官方网站 凤凰快3 彩神彩票官网首页 1分快三平台 百姓彩票平台 凤凰彩票登录 幸运5分彩快3 彩神 乐发彩票 乐发 大发彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发lv 凤凰彩票app 乐发app 网信彩票平台 网信彩票平台 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票app 乐发lv 乐发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票app 网信彩票平台 乐发彩票app下载 乐发lv 乐发app 大发彩票安卓下载 大发彩票安卓下载 大发彩票 乐发彩票app下载 网信彩票平台 乐发iv游戏平台 彩神彩票 乐发彩票中心 极速快3彩票平台 人人快三凤凰 大发彩票app 大发彩票大全 乐发彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 乐发app 酷天堂彩票平台 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票大厅 凤凰彩票app 极速快3彩票平台 凤凰彩票 凤凰快3 乐发ll官网 乐发彩票中心 正规快三送彩金平台 凤凰彩票官方 乐发ll 乐发 网信彩票 彩神彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 大发彩票app 网信彩票用户 百姓快三 百姓彩票平台 乐发lv 乐发彩票app下载 彩信平台 网信彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 乐发∨Il 人人快三凤凰 凤凰彩票 凤凰快3 乐发ll官网 乐发彩票中心 正规快三送彩金平台 凤凰彩票官方 乐发ll 乐发 网信彩票 彩神彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 人人快三凤凰 乐发彩票 彩神彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发彩票 大发彩票中心 凤凰彩票登录 凤凰彩票app 彩神彩票 大发彩票 乐发ll 大发彩票app 凤凰快3 凤凰彩票 彩神彩票 乐发ll 凤凰彩票 乐发lll 凤凰彩票大厅 网信彩票 彩神彩票 乐发lv 快盈彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 盈彩网投资平台 大发官网 一分时时彩 乐发lv 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发app 大发官网 乐发lll 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发app 彩神iv 大发彩票app 大小单双平台 一分pk10 乐发lv 快盈彩票 乐发官网 快彩彩票 百姓彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 网信彩票 乐发彩票中心 网信快3 乐发 彩神xl 三分快3 大发彩票 大发官网 乐发lll 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 大发彩票 乐发 分分快3 彩神vl 55世纪 55世纪 凤凰快3 乐发彩票 乐发lv welcome凤凰彩票 乐发ll 1分快3 彩神 彩神ll 1分快3官网 1分快3的平台 welcome凤凰彩票 三分快3 彩神x 彩神vl 凤凰彩票 彩神xl 大发彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发官网 乐发ll 乐发lll 乐发lv 大发彩票app 大发彩票 乐发 乐发彩票 乐发彩票中心 凤凰快3 乐发彩票 彩神xl 腾讯快3 大发彩票 彩神xl 大发彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票app 快3平台 乐发 1分快3 乐发彩票 彩神x 凤凰快3 彩神xl 彩吧助手 大发彩票app 快3平台 大发排列3 彩神iv 彩神vl 乐发IV 彩神x 一分pk10 大发排列3 乐发lv 快3彩票 乐发app下载 三分快3 快三平台助手 乐发彩票ll 彩神iv 乐发lll下载 盈彩网投资平台 乐发Ⅲ 一分pk10 凤凰彩票 乐发Vll 大发官网 乐发ll 大发彩票 乐发1 凤凰快3 彩神vl 乐发lx 百姓彩票 乐发VI 彩神x 乐发IV 极速快3 乐发 凤凰快3 网信快3 乐发lv 快3彩票 乐发app下载 三分快3 快三平台助手 乐发彩票ll 彩神iv 乐发lll下载 盈彩网投资平台 乐发Ⅲ 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发lv 乐发lv 乐发lv 凤凰彩票 大发彩票 大发彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 乐发ll 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 乐发ll 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 彩神x 乐发 乐发ll 极速快3 乐发lv 乐发彩票中心 快3彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 彩神x 凤凰彩票app 分分快3 网信彩票 网盟彩票 凤凰彩票 百姓彩票 乐发 快彩彩票 乐发彩票 快3平台 百姓彩票 大小单双平台 凤凰快3 彩神xl 一分pk10 乐发lv 三分快3 大发彩票 乐发彩票 快3平台 百姓彩票 大小单双平台 凤凰快3 彩神xl 一分pk10 乐发lv 三分快3 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发ll 网信彩票 乐发lv 全民彩票 凤凰彩票app下载 快盈彩票 大发彩票app 大发官网 凤凰彩票 彩神iv 大发彩票 网信快3 凤凰彩票 百姓彩票