International Journal of Molecular Zoology, 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 90-100 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/ijmz 97 breeding, the core population of the original variety should be retained for the preservation of the gene bank. While vigorously promoting crossbreeding between native and exotic chickens, Ethiopia has preserved purebred Horro chickens and other native germplasms through community conservation (Mokoena et al., 2024). It is necessary to fully explore the value of local varieties in hybrid breeding instead of simply replacing them with commercial strains. Local chickens often have unique genes such as heat resistance, cold resistance, tolerance to coarse feed, and disease resistance. These excellent characteristics should be introduced into new strains through hybridization to serve modern production (Kong et al., 2025). A genetic diversity monitoring mechanism should be established to track and analyze the genetic structure of commercial hybrid populations to ensure that there is no excessive homogenization. For example, the effective population size and inbred line number of the hybrid population were measured by using the genome, and new genetic sources were introduced in time to avoid inbreeding (Tian et al., 2023; Velasco et al., 2024). At the policy level, it is necessary to support the protection and utilization of local varieties. For instance, financial subsidies should be provided to conservation farms, and research institutions should be encouraged to explore the genetic functions of local chickens and develop innovative products. 6.3 Technological innovation promotes precise hybridization The rapid development of biotechnology and information technology is injecting new impetus into hybrid breeding. Future hybrid breeding will rely more on precise and intelligent means to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of breeding. Several notable directions include: genomic selection and big data breeding - with the reduction in sequencing costs and the improvement of the reference map of the chicken's whole genome, making breeding decisions based on whole genome information will become increasingly popular. Single-cell omics and functional verification - Cutting-edge technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) have been applied to the study of chicken tissue development. Meanwhile, breakthroughs in gene editing technology have made it possible to verify gene functions and specifically modify strains. Problems such as embryo manipulation that restricted gene editing in poultry in the past are gradually being overcome: The development of primitive germ cell culture and transplantation technology has made it possible to mass-breed gene-edited chickens (Ichikawa et al., 2022; Kinoshita et al., 2024). Previous studies have successfully knocked out the IHH gene in chickens (affecting bone growth), etc. The effects were observed at the cellular and individual levels (Jin et al., 2025). In the future, it may be possible to specifically edit genes that affect meat quality, reproduction or disease resistance and directly apply them to pure-line selection. Then, through hybridization, these designed traits can be presented on commercial generations. Reproductive biotechnology - including artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and female nuclear development - has been applied in chickens, but it is not yet widely used. Information Management and Decision-making System - With the help of the Internet of Things and information systems, the production and physiological data of individuals in the breeding population can be collected in real time, and the breeding values and optimized pairing schemes can be calculated in real time through breeding software (Alves et al., 2024). 7 Concluding Remarks Hybrid breeding strategies have played an irreplaceable role in improving the production performance of domestic chickens. Through scientific design and the combined utilization of heterosis in the parent group, the growth rate and egg-laying performance of modern broilers and laying hens have significantly improved compared to decades ago. Hybrid offspring have demonstrated comprehensive advantages in multiple aspects such as weight gain, feed conversion, egg production and stress resistance, significantly enhancing the production efficiency and benefits of the poultry industry. Both additive and non-additive genetic effects contribute to these improvements, among which non-additive effects provide immediate heterosis, while additive effects support long-term genetic progress. The integration of selection indices and multi-trait models has further achieved simultaneous improvement of growth and reproductive traits, demonstrating the effectiveness of precision breeding methods.
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