Uses of Inbreeding
Fallowing are the some important uses of the inbreeding.
1) A little inbreeding is often necessary in order to keep animals related to outstanding ancestors.
2) Inbreeding is practiced for the production of inbred lines for subsequent outcrossing in the utilisation of hybrid vigour.
3) To produce genetically uniform strains, particularly of laboratory animals, for use in bioassay and in research in a variety of fields.
4) Inbreeding is useful as an aid to selection in producing parent stocks, which can be used with predictable results as parents for outbred Or crossbred commercial animals. Those animals, which perform well under inbreeding programme, should be homozygous for a greater number of desirable genes and therefore have above average value as breeders. Inbreeding is the only method known for increasing prepotency.
5) Inbreeding permits holding together of desirable gene combinations and their propogation through future generations. Since desirable gene combinations are quickly dissipated in outbred matings, some degree of inbreeding represents the only known method of accomplishing this.
6) Inbreeding can be used to quickly break a population into distinct families or lines, the poorer of which can be called. Selection between families can be much more accurate than selection between individuals, especially for characteristics which are slightly heritable; but the families must be distinct from each other if that is to be the case.
7) Inbreeding uncovers undesirable recessives and thus helps to purify the stock by discarding the homozygous recessives.
8) It is sometimes economical to breed to the present sire if it's is of such high merit that an alternate equally good sire will be difficult to get. But this is an unwise policy if the animals are of only average merit.
9) Inbreeding determines the actual genetic worth of an animal.