Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-30T00:46:08.420Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Results of pig progeny testing in Great Britain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

Charles Smith
Charles Smith
Affiliation:
A.R.C. Animal Breeding Research Organisation, Edinburgh 9
Get access

Summary

From 1958 to 1962 over 800 boars and 3,000 sows were progeny tested at the national pig progeny testing stations in Great Britain. Their test results for four traits (daily gain, feed efficiency, average backfat and carcass length) have been used to study the amount and effectiveness of selection and to review the use of the test facilities and their effect on pig improvement.

The amount of selection on test results was studied by measuring the difference in performance of animals with sons subsequently tested and all contemporary tested animals. The selection differentials found were from 0·05 to 0·30 standard deviation units for the four traits studied which represents a rather mild degree of selection. Thus selection could have had only a small effect in improving the testing population. In fact sons of tested animals showed little advantage over their contemporaries in test performance. Parent-offspring regressions were calculated and these, in agreement with theoretical estimates, indicated that selection would be effective and would lead to genetic changes in any of the four traits studied. Genetic correlations among the four traits were also calculated and indicated genetic compatability in improving the four traits concurrently.

Two proposals intended to increase the impact of testing on pig improvement are put forward. These are (1) to restrict the testing facilities to a small nucleus set of breeders who could concentrate on testing and selection and (2) to replace the progeny testing by performance testing which would allow a more intense selection and a greater rate of improvement for the same testing facilities.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , June 1965 , pp. 133 - 140
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1965

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Dickerson, G. E., & Hazel, L. N., 1944. Effectiveness of selection on progeny performance as a supplement to earlier culling in livestock. J. agric. Res., 69: 459–476.Google Scholar
Hazel, L. M., 1943. The genetic basis for constructing selection indexes. Genetics, 28: 476–490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jonsson, P., 1963. Danish pig progeny testing results. Z. Tierz. ZüchtBiol., 78: 205–252.Google Scholar
Jonsson, P., & King, J. W. B., 1962. Sources of variation in Danish Landrace pigs at progeny testing stations. Acta Agric. scand., 12: 68–80.Google Scholar
Lush, J. L., 1936. Genetic aspects of the Danish system of progeny-testing swine. Res. Bull. Iowa agric. exp. Stat., no. 204.Google Scholar
National Pig Progeny Testing Board. 1959–1963. Annual Report. Vol. 1–5. Issued by the National Pig Progeny Testing Board, Hitchin Road, Hitchin, Herts.Google Scholar
Smith, C., 1959. A comparison of testing schemes for pigs. Anim. Prod., 1: 113–121.Google Scholar
Smith, C., 1962. Estimation of genetic change in farm livestock using field records. Anim. Prod., 4: 239–251.Google Scholar
Smith, C., King, J. W. B., & Gilbert, N., 1962. Genetic parameters of British Large White bacon pigs. Anim. Prod., 4: 128–143.Google Scholar
Smith, C., & Ross, G. J. S., 1965. Genetic parameters of British Landrace bacon pigs. Anim. Prod., 7: (in press).Google Scholar