Estimation of genetic parameters for milk yield in different lactations of Mambi de Cuba cows
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Abstract
2 029 of fourth (L4) were used. They were from 13 495 Mambi de Cuba cows (3/4 Holstein 1/4 Zebu) that calved between 1981 and 2006.
The cows were spread in 173 herds of four cattle enterprises. The objective of this study was estimating the heritabilities and genetic
correlations between the four first lactations (L1-L4) and determining if the first lactation could be considered as criterion of selection of cows
and sires of this breed. The software REMLF90 was used for estimating the covariance components and the genetic parameters through multivariate animal model including the group of contemporaries (herd-year-four month period of calving as fixed effect, the calving age as
linear and quadratic covariable, and the animal and error as random effects. The averages for L1 until L4 were of 1 957, 2 086, 2099, and 2 106 kg, and the values of heritability were of 0.22 ? 0.03, 0.17 ? 0.04, 0.22 ? 0.05, and 0.26 ? 0.06, respectively. The genetic correlations between the four first lactations were high, with values between 0.76 and 0.95. It was concluded that it is possible to obtain genetic improvements through selection by milk yield, and that there was high percentage of common genes affecting the different lactations. It was determined that the milk yield in the first lactation is a good indicator of the productive performance of the Mambi de Cuba cows and that it may be used as selection criterion.
Key words: Mambi de Cuba cows, genetic parameters, milk yield.
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