Pigmentation of sheep. I. Inheritance of pigmented wool in the Merino

Abstract

The results of a series of matings are presented which demonstrate that the presence of black or grey wool in a group of medium-wool Merinos, except in sheep with a certain pattern of pigmentation, is due to the action of a single recessive gene, w. The allele, W, for white wool appears to be a complete dominant.

The exceptional phenotype is that of animals with a small discrete area of black or grey wool in an otherwise white fleece. Possible genotypes of this class of pigmented sheep are discussed.