Breed-specific classification potentials of sheep in different grassland biotopes

Abstract. There has been an increasing influx from national and international genetic reservoirs into a region that used to be a main breeding area of a merino breed which was consequently reduced to small groups of remaining stocks. Due to the new diversity of breeds it is possible to keep sheep at sites with distinct characteristics in a wide range of different biotopes. As cattle and sheep often share the same feed the latter are mainly kept on sandy and lowyield sites which are typical for Brandenburg. There is a considerable variability of distinctive differences between individual breeds. The present paper describes the specifics of the various breeds to be found in Brandenburg and assesses potentials of their employment in different grassland biotopes. This may provide a basis for further studies into genotype-environment interactions which are of practical and economic relevance for reasonable land use by sheep keeping.