Genetic parameters of growth traits in Cuban Zebu cattle

Main Article Content

A. Guill?n Trujillo
D. Guerra Iglesias
N. ?vila Serrano
Dianelys Gonz?lez-Pe?a
A. Palacios
R. de Luna
J. L. Espinoza

Abstract

In order to estimate (co)variance components and genetic parameters of weaning weight, at seven months of age (WW), and of final weight,
at 18 months (FW), a sample was used from 67 373 records of WW and 7 990 records of FW of Cuban Zebu breed animals. They were born between 1988 and 2006, in five genetic centers of the country. The statistical model for WW included the effects of the group of contemporaries (herd?year?trimester-sex, weaning weight as linear covariable and the age of the mother as linear and quadratic), the random effect of the animal, the maternal random effect, the permanent environment effect and the error. The model for FW included the group
of contemporariess (herd-year-four-month period), the animal effect and that of the permanent environment. The variance components,
estimated through animal model for the direct effect of WW by univariate and bivariate analysis, were similar and did not tend to change
significantly the magnitude of the heritability for the direct (0.06 vs. 0.08) and maternal effects (0.06 ? 0.01 vs. 0.05 ? 0.01). However, for
the FW, the variance components for the direct effect had important changes. As a result, the h2 was higher when using the bivariate model
(0.26 ? 0.05) than when applying the univariate (0.16 ? 0.03). The genetic correlation between the direct and the maternal effect for the
weaning weight reached a value of -0.37 ? 0.08 in the univariate analysis, and of -0.21 ? 0.07 in the bivariate. It was concluded that the
utilization of an animal model, considering simultaneously weaning weight and final weight, increased the efficiency in the selection of
this latter character.
Key words: Cuban Zebu cattle, variance components, genetic parameters, growth.

Article Details

How to Cite
Guill?n Trujillo, A., Guerra Iglesias, D., ?vila Serrano, N., Gonz?lez-Pe?a, D., Palacios, A., de Luna, R., & Espinoza, J. L. (2011). Genetic parameters of growth traits in Cuban Zebu cattle. Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science, 45(2). Retrieved from https://cjascience.com/index.php/CJAS/article/view/126
Section
Animal Science
Author Biographies

A. Guill?n Trujillo

Universidad del Mar, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, C.P. 71980, M?xico

D. Guerra Iglesias

Departamento de Gen?tica, Centro de Investigaciones para el Mejoramiento Animal de la Ganader?a Tropical, Ave. 101 No.6214 e/ 62 y 100, Loma de Tierra, Cotorro, La Habana, Cuba

N. ?vila Serrano

Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidad Aut?noma de Baja California Sur, M?xico

Dianelys Gonz?lez-Pe?a

Universidad del Mar, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, C.P. 71980, M?xico

A. Palacios

Universidad del Mar, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, C.P. 71980, M?xico

R. de Luna

Universidad del Mar, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, C.P. 71980, M?xico

J. L. Espinoza

Universidad del Mar, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, C.P. 71980, M?xico

Most read articles by the same author(s)