THE difficult task of breeding healthy alpacas with highly sought after 'classic grey' coats has traditionally required as much luck as breeding know-how, but this is set to change with the release of Neogen's newest genomic test, the Alpaca Coat Colour Test.
The Neogen Alpaca Coat Colour Test was developed in collaboration with Dr Kylie Munyard from Curtin University who has done extensive research in the area of alpaca coat colour genetics over the past 10 years. Dr Munyard said the university patented the colour test in 2018, after it was first in the world to find the genetic colour mutation.
The findings were published in 2019.
Dr Munyard said unlocking the genetic key to coat colour was a team effort and had been difficult, but would make a big difference to breeders.
"Coat colour in alpacas is a complex trait, and there are two main genes responsible for the base coat, which are both assayed in this test," Dr Munyard said.
"The test also identifies animals with the 'cryptic grey' coat pattern which is generally too pale to be seen.
"With this test, breeders have the opportunity to test white or light fawn alpacas, or those with uncertain patterns, for the mutation found in 'classic grey' alpacas.
"In addition to identifying the grey phenotype, the test is also useful for non-grey animals, in identifying the base coat colour and determining common progeny colours from the parents' determined base colour."
Dr Munyard said her team had been solving colour questions on and off for a while.
"The commercial test came about after going through quality control measures and was released earlier this year," she said.
"The initial testing was done in WA and other parts of Australia, New Zealand, Peru (and other countries in Europe)."
Dr Munyard said there were wide ranging tests because if they focused on one specific location it could provide misleading results for the overall breed.
The research involved a collaboration with local vets and breeders where they would take samples of blood and fibre, as well as their pedigree charts.
Dr Munyard said the research industry had become increasingly competitive as less money was available to pursue further studies.
She hoped that Curtin University could attract more funding to continue the work she had done which would be a commercial benefit in the end for alpaca breeders.
"Alpaca colour is highly complicated and we are looking at a number of colours and patterns, including white spotting, different blacks and what makes some shine and others not so much," she said.
"It is very interesting work.
"There are 300 genes involved, so it is very complex, and there's a lot we don't know."
The first commercial breeder to use the test was Belgian Huacaya breeder Laurence Varlet, from Alpagas du Maquis in Montleban, 120 kilometres south east of Brussels.
Ms Varlet said the genomic test would provide certainty when selecting animals for breeding, knowing that their progeny would carry the coat colour most desired by alpaca fleece mills and fashion designers.
"Until now it's been impossible to know prior to breeding if our lighter coloured animals carry grey genetics," Ms Varlet said.
"Sometimes you can be 99 per cent sure an animal with a light coat will produce healthy grey offspring so you go ahead and breed them and then spring rolls around and you've got crias (juvenile alpacas) with different coloured coats.
"It can be disappointing because you're back to square one and you must wait at least another year to try again."
The test, which is completed by sending a few drops of the animal's blood to Neogen's laboratory in Gatton, Queensland, has given Ms Varlet a new level of confidence about which animals she should breed to achieve grey coats in the progeny.
She said some of the results have been surprising.
"One of our best fawn females is actually a grey, which is really exciting," Ms Varlet said.
"One of the other fawn females in the herd has returned results showing it carries genetics for a black coat, so that shows how the colour of each animal can be very different to the genetics it carries."
Ms Varlet said the test had the potential to change the way the industry operated.
"In the future, I can see breeders marketing animals with certain proven genetic values," she said.
"For example, it would be great to be able to know an animal's grey coat genetic status before you bought it."
Ms Varlet said the test had proven its value and she would be doing it to more of her alpacas.
"We still have more than half of our herd to be tested but the first results are very interesting, and we plan to test the entire herd before the end of the year," she said.
The test is available for Australian alpaca breeders now.
