Table 6.
First weight fleece and fleece characteristics of lambs, offsprings of Australian Merino ewes reared on natural pasture and supplemented, 30 days prior to lambing, with selenium (Se) and iodine (I) or with selenium alone.
| Diet | Clean Fleece Weight (kg) | MDF (μm) | CVfd (%) | Fibre Length (cm) | Wool Fibre Color |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y = brightness | Y-Z = yellowness | |||||
| Pasture | 1.28 ± 0.06 | 15.25 ± 0.34 | 20.85 ± 0.76 | 7.46 ± 0.26 | 69.21 ± 0.45 | 0.02 ± 0.54 |
| Pasture + Se + I | 1.43 ± 0.10 | 14.36 ± 0.40 | 20.54 ± 0.76 | 7.61 ± 0.41 | 69.76 ± 0.77 | -0.3 ± 0.54 |
| Pasture + Se | 1.31 ± 0.10 | 14.37 ± 0.25 | 19.92 ± 1.15 | 8.00 ± 0.33 | 69.87 ± 0.53 | -0.26 ± 0.54 |
MDF= Mean diameter fibre; CVfd = coefficient of variation of fibre diameter. Data are mean ± SEM. No significant differences between groups by ANOVA one way (p < 0.05).