Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Home
  • Home
Article
  • Cited by 8

  • Get access
    Add to cart £25.00
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    Log in Register

Estimates of genetic parameters for growth traits of Gobra cattle

  • M. Diop (a1) and L. D. Van Vleck (a2)

Abstract

Estimates of (co)variance components and genetic parameters were obtained for birth (no. = 3909), weaning (no. = 3425), yearling (no. = 2763), and final weight (no. = 2142) for Gobra cattle at the Centre de Recherches Zootechniques de Dahra (Senegal), using single trait animal models. Data were analysed by restricted maximum likelihood. Four different animal models were fitted for each trait. Model 1 considered the animal as the only random effect. Model 2 included in addition to the additive direct effect of the animal, the environmental effect due to the dam. Model 3 added the maternal additive genetic effects and allowed a covariance between the direct and maternal genetic effects. Model 4 fitted both maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects. Inclusion of both types of maternal effects (genetic and environmental) provided a better fit for birth and weaning weights than models with one maternal effect only. For yearling and final weights, the improvement was not significant. Important maternal effects werefound for all traits. Estimates of direct heritabilities were substantially higher when maternal effects were ignored. Estimates of direct and maternal heritabilities with model 4 were 0·07 (s.e. 0·03) and 0·04 (s.e. 0·02), 0·20 (s.e. 0·05) and 0·21 (s.e. 0.05), 0·24 (s.e. 0·07) and 0·21 (s.e. 0·06), and 0·14 (s.e. 0·06) and 0.16 (s.e. 0·06) for birth, weaning, yearling and final weights, respectively. Correlations between direct and maternal genetic effects were negative for all traits, and large for weaning and yearling weights with estimates of -0·61 (s.e. 0·33) and -0·50 (s.e. 0·31), respectively. There was a significant positive linear phenotypic trend for weaning and yearling weights. Linear trends for additive direct and maternal breeding values were not significant for any trait except maternal breeding value for yearling weight.

Copyright

COPYRIGHT: © British Society of Animal Science 1998

Corresponding author

†To whom correspondence should be addressed

References

Hide All
Abassa, P. K. 1984. Systems approach to Gobra Zebu production in Dahra, Senegal. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Baker, R. L. 1980. The role of maternal effects on the efficiency of selection in beef cattle. A review. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society ofAnimal Production 40: 285–303.
Boldman, K. G., Kriese, L. D., Van Vleck, L. D. and Kachman, S. D. 1993. A manual for use of MTDFREML. A set of programs to obtain estimates of variances andcovariences. ARS, USDA, Washington, DC.
Centre de Recherches Zootechniques de Dahra. 1973. Rapport annual 1973.
Denis, J. P. and Thiongane, A. I. 1974. L'aptitude a la production de viande chez le zebu Gobra du Senegal. Proceedings of the first world congress on genetics applied animal production, Madrid, vol. 3, pp. 889–897.
Eler, J. P., Van Vleck, L. D., Ferraz, J. B. S. and Lobo, R. B. 1995. Estimation of variances due to direct and maternal effects for growth traits of Nelor cattle Journal of Animal Science 73: 3253–3258.
Gerstmayr, S. 1992. Impact of the data structure on the reliability of the estimated genetic parameters in an animal model with maternal effects Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 109:321–336.
Johnson, D. L. and Thompson, R. 1994. Restricted maximum likelihood estimation of variance components for univariate animal models using sparse matrix techniques and a quasi-Newton procedure. Proceedings of the fifth world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Guelph, 18, p. 410–413.
Khombe, C. T., Hayes, J. F., Cue, R. I. and Wade, K. M. 1995. Estimation of direct additive and maternal additive genetic effects for weaning weight in Mashona cattle of Zimbabwe using an individual animal model Animal Production 60: 41–48.
Koch, R. M. 1972. The role of maternal effects in animal breeding. VI. Maternal effects in beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science 35: 1316–1323.
Koots, K. R., Gibson, J. P., Smith, C. and Wilton, J. W. 1994. Analyses of published genetic parameter estimates for beef production traits. 1. Heritability. Animal Breeding Abstracts 62:309–338.
Mackinnon, M. J., Meyer, K. and Hetzel, J. D. S. 1991. Genetic variation and covariation for growth, parasite resistance and heat tolerance in tropical cattle Livestock Production Science 27:105–122.
Meyer, K. 1992. Variance components due to direct and maternal effects for growth traits of Australian beef cattle. Livestock Production Science 31:179–204.
Mohiuddin, G. 1993. Estimates of genetic and phenotypic parameters of some performance traits in beef cattle Animal Breeding Abstracts 61: 495–522.
Robison, O. W. 1981. The influence of maternal effects on the efficiency of selection; a review Livestock Production Science 8:121–137.
Sow, R. S., Denis, J. P., Trail, J. M. C., Thiongane, P. I., Mbaye, M. and Diallo, I. 1988. Productivite du Zebu Gobra au Centre de Recherches Zootechniques de Dahra (Senegal). ISRA Etudes et Documents, vol. 1, no. 2.
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1992. SAS/STAT release 6.08. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.
Tawah, C. L., Mbah, D. A., Rege, J. E. O. and Oumate, H. 1993. Genetic evaluation of birth and weaning weight of Gudali and two-breed synthetic Wakwa beef cattle populations under selection in Cameroon: genetic and phenotypic parameters Animal Production 57: 73–79.
Van Vleck, L. D., David, St L. and Miller, J. I. 1977. Expected phenotypic response in weaning weight of beef calves from selection for direct and maternal genetic effects. Journal of Animal Science 44: 360–367.
Willham, R. L. 1972. The role of maternal effects in animal breeding. III. Biometrical aspects of maternal effects in animals. Journal ofAnimal Science 35: 1288–1293.
Wright, D. W., Johnson, Z. B., Brown, C. J. and Wildeus, S. 1991. Variance and covariance estimates for weaning weight of Senepol cattle Journal of Animal Science 69: 3945–3951.

Keywords

  • Cited by 8

  • Get access
    Add to cart £25.00
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    Log in Register

Estimates of genetic parameters for growth traits of Gobra cattle

  • M. Diop (a1) and L. D. Van Vleck (a2)

Metrics

Full text views

Total number of HTML views: 0
Total number of PDF views: 0 *
Loading metrics...

Abstract views

Total abstract views: 0 *
Loading metrics...

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between <date>. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

Usage data cannot currently be displayed