Seasonal variation of fibre follicle activity and wool growth in fat-tailed Sanjabi XXXX in west Iran.

@entity24754 @entity9956 @entity742 @entity2537
UNASSIGNED: This experiment was conducted to investigate the seasonal pattern of hair follicle activity, wool growth and @entity2537 ( @entity2537 ) in Sanjabi @entity742 in west Iran, Kermanshah (34   18' N and 47   3' E, elevation 1420  m). Ten male and 10 female Sanjabi @entity742 with an initial live weight of 32.1        1.3 and 32.7        1.5 (means        SD), respectively, were used in a 365-day study. A diet was offered with an estimated concentration of 2.18  Mcal metabolizable energy and 130.0  g/kg DM crude protein. Body weight, average daily gain ( @entity24754 ) and dry matter intake (DMI) were recorded weekly. The percentages of active primary and secondary wool follicles (PAP and PAS), follicle density and the ratio of secondary to primary follicles (S/P) were determined from skin biopsies, taken from the right mid-side of the @entity742 at monthly intervals. Raw and clean fibre growth rates and @entity2537 were measured from left mid-side patches (10   *   10  cm) harvested at the end of every month. There was a gradual increase in live weight throughout the experiment, while @entity24754 and @entity9956 changed in concert with day length. The greatest values for PAP and PAS were observed in summer, whereas lowest were obtained in winter (p   <   0.001). Clean wool growth rate and @entity2537 were greatest (p   <   0.001) in summer and lowest (p   <   0.001) in winter. It is concluded that a seasonal cycle of feed intake, body growth, fibre follicle activity, wool growth and @entity2537 occur in fat-tailed Sanjabi @entity742 .
