Skip to main content
Log in

Inbreeding effects on reproductive traits in Iranian Guilan sheep

  • Regular Articles
  • Published:
Tropical Animal Health and Production Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of inbreeding on reproductive traits in Guilan sheep. Traits included were litter size at birth (LSB), litter size at weaning (LSW), litter mean weight per lamb born (LMWLB), litter mean weight per lamb weaned (LMWLW), total litter weight at birth (TLWB), and total litter weight at weaning (TLWW). Data and pedigree information used in this study were collected during 1994 to 2011 by the Agriculture Organization of Guilan Province in the north of Iran. Data were comprised of 14,534 records of lambs from 136 sires and 2021 dams. All the animals were grouped into three classes according to the inbreeding coefficients (F) obtained by their pedigree: the first class included non-inbred animals (F = 0 %), and the second and third classes included inbred animals (0 < F ≤ 5 % and F > 5 %, respectively). The regression coefficients of LSB, LSW, LMWLB, LMWLW, TLWB, and TLWW on lamb inbreeding for a change of 1 % in inbreeding were estimated to be 0.035 ± 0.0038 (P < 0.001), −0.029 ± 0.0077 (P < 0.05), −0.333 ± 0.009 (P < 0.001), −2.21 ± 0.071 (P < 0.001), −0.254 ± 0.013 (P < 0.001), and −1.95 ± 0.093 (P < 0.001), respectively. Effect of inbreeding on reproductive traits in Guilan sheep was very pronounced in the flock. The utilization of a program for planned mating system, in the present flock, suggested keeping the level of inbreeding under control and avoiding appearance of its detrimental effects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aguilar, I. and Misztal, I., 2012. INBUPGF90. Instituto Nacional de Investigacion Agropecuaria, Uruguay University of Georgia, US. (Sited in: http://nce.ads.uga.edu/wiki/doku.php?id=readme.inbupgf90).

  • Analla, M., Montilla, J. M. and Serradilla J. M., 1998. Analyses of lamb weight and ewe litter size in various lines of Spanish Merino sheep. Small Ruminant Research, 29, 255–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barczak, E., Wolc, A., Wójtowski, J., Slósarz, P. and Szwaczkowski, T., 2009. Inbreeding and inbreeding depression on body weight in sheep. Journal of Animal and Feed Sciences, 18, 42–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boichard, D., Maignel, L. and Verrier, E., 1997. The value of using probabilities of gene origin to measure genetic variability in a population. Genetics Selection Evolution, 29, 5–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boujenane, I. and Chami, A., 1997. Effects of inbreeding on reproduction, weights and survival of Sardi and Beni Guil sheep. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics, 114, 23–31.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dario, C. and Bufano, G., 2003. Efecto de la endogamia sobre la producción láctea en la raza ovina Altamurana (Effect of inbreeding on milk production in Altamurana sheep breed). Archivos de Zootecnia, 52, 401–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duguma, G., Schoeman, S. J., Cloete, S. W. P. and Jordaan, G. F., 2002. Genetic and environmental parameters for productivity in merinos. South African Journal of Animal Science, 32, 154–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eteqadi, B., Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N. and Shadparvar, A. A., 2014. Population structure and inbreeding effects on body weight traits of Guilan sheep in Iran. Small Ruminant Research. 119, 45–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallivan, C., 1996. Breeding objectives and selection index for genetic improvement of Canadian sheep. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Guelph, 174 pp.

  • Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N., 2012. Inbreeding effects on body weight traits of Iranian Moghani sheep. Archiv Tierzucht, 55, 171–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N., 2013. Inbreeding effects on average daily gains and Kleiber ratios in Iranian Moghani sheep. Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science, 3(3), 545–551.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, M. S., Ali, A., Hyder, A. U. and Chatta, A. I., 2007. Effect of inbreeding on growth and reproduction traits of Beetal goats. Archiv Tierzucht, 50, 197–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamberson, W. R. and Thomas, D. L., 1984. Effects of inbreeding in sheep: a review. Animal Breeding Abstracts, 52, 287–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon, K. M., 2003. Analysis of Inbreeding in a Closed Population of Crossbred Sheep. MSc Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

  • Matika, O., Van Wyk, J. B., Erasmus, G. J. and Baker, R. L., 2003. Genetic parameter estimates in sabi sheep. Livestock Production Science, 79, 17–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohammadi, H., Moradi Shahrebabak, M. and Moradi Shahrebabak, H., 2013. Analysis of genetic relationship between reproductive vs. lamb growth traits in Makooei ewes. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 15, 45–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mokhtari, M. S., Moradi Shahrbabak, M., Esmaiilizadeh, A. K., Moradi Shahrbabak, H. and Gutierrez J. P., 2014. Pedigree analysis of Iran-Black sheep and inbreeding effects on growth and reproduction traits. Small Ruminant Research, 116, 14–20.

  • Negussie, E., Abegaz, S. and Rege, J. O. E., 2002. Genetic trend and effects of inbreeding on growth performance of tropical fat-tailed sheep. Proc. 7th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Montpellier, France, August, 2002. Session 25, 1–4.

  • Norberg, E. and Sorenson, A. C., 2007. Inbreeding trend and inbreeding depression in the Danish populations of Texel, Shropshire and Oxford Down. Journal of Animal Science, 85,299-304.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pedrosa, V. B., Santana Jr, M.L., Oliveira, P. S., Eler, J. P. and Ferraz, J. B. S., 2010. Population structure and inbreeding effects on growth traits of Santa Inês sheep in Brazil. Small Ruminant Research, 93, 135–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prod’Homme, P. and Lauvergne, J. J., 1993. The Merino Rambouillet flock innational sheep fold in France. Small Ruminant Research, 10, 303–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosati, A., Mousa, E., Van Vleck, L.D. and Young, L. D., 2002. Genetic parameters of reproductive traits in sheep. Small Ruminant Research. 43, 65–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rzewuska, K., Klewiec, J. and Martyniuk, E., 2005. Effect of inbred on reproduction and body weight of sheep in a closed Booroola flock. Animal Science Papers and Reports, 23(4), 237–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sargolzaei, M., Iwaisaki, H. and Colleau, J. J., 2006. CFC: A tool for monitoring genetic diversity. Proceedings of 8th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, CD-ROM Communication 27–28. Belo Horizonte, Brazil, August. 13–18, 2006.

  • SAS Institute., 2003. SAS User’s guide v 9.1: Statistics. SAS Institute, Inc, Cary, NC.

  • Van Wyk, J. B., Fair, M. D. and Cloete, S. W. P., 2009. Case study: the effect of inbreeding on the production and reproduction traits in the Elsenburg Dormer sheep stud. Livestock Science, 120, 218–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vatankhah, M., 2005. Defining a proper breeding scheme for Lori-Bakhtiari sheep in village system. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Tehran, 207.

  • Weiner, G., Lee, G. J. and Woolliams, J. A., 1992. Effects of rapid inbreeding and of crossing of inbred lines on the body weight growth of sheep. Animal Production, 55, 89–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wocac, R. M., 2003. On the importance of inbreeding at Tauernschecken goats. Archiv Tierzucht, 46, 455–469.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Navid Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Eteqadi, B., Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N. & Shadparvar, A.A. Inbreeding effects on reproductive traits in Iranian Guilan sheep. Trop Anim Health Prod 47, 533–539 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-015-0758-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-015-0758-y

Keywords

Navigation