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Genetic parameter estimation for pre- and post-weaning traits in Brahman cattle in Brazil

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Abstract

Beef cattle producers in Brazil use body weight traits as breeding program selection criteria due to their great economic importance. The objectives of this study were to evaluate different animal models, estimate genetic parameters, and define the most fitting model for Brahman cattle body weight standardized at 120 (BW120), 210 (BW210), 365 (BW365), 450 (BW450), and 550 (BW550) days of age. To estimate genetic parameters, single-, two-, and multi-trait analyses were performed using the animal model. The likelihood ratio test was verified between all models. For BW120 and BW210, additive direct genetic, maternal genetic, maternal permanent environment, and residual effects were considered, while for BW365 and BW450, additive direct genetic, maternal genetic, and residual effects were considered. Finally, for BW550, additive direct genetic and residual effects were considered. Estimates of direct heritability for BW120 were similar in all analyses; however, for the other traits, multi-trait analysis resulted in higher estimates. The maternal heritability and proportion of maternal permanent environmental variance to total variance were minimal in multi-trait analyses. Genetic, environmental, and phenotypic correlations were of high magnitude between all traits. Multi-trait analyses would aid in the parameter estimation for body weight at older ages because they are usually affected by a lower number of animals with phenotypic information due to culling and mortality.

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Acknowledgments

Giovana Vargas and Danísio P. Munari were supported by a fellowship from the National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq). Marcos E. Buzanskas would like to thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (grantee n. 13/19335-2). The authors would like to acknowledge the Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP) for computational support for this study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciências Exatas, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), UNESP—Univ Estadual Paulista, Via de Acesso Professor Paulo Donato Castellane, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, 14884-900, Brazil

    Giovana Vargas, Marcos Eli Buzanskas, Diego Gomes Freire Guidolin, João Ademir de Oliveira & Danísio Prado Munari

  2. Associação Nacional de Criadores e Pesquisadores (ANCP), Rua João Godoy 463, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14020-230, Brazil

    Alexandre da Silva Bonifácio & Raysildo Barbosa Lôbo

  3. Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock (CGIL), 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Daniela do Amaral Grossi

  4. Faculdade de Zootecnia, UNESP—Univ Estadual Paulista, Unidade Diferenciada de Dracena, Rodovia Comandante João Ribeiro de Barros, km 651, Dracena, São Paulo, 17900-000, Brazil

    Ricardo da Fonseca

Authors
  1. Giovana Vargas
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  2. Marcos Eli Buzanskas
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  3. Diego Gomes Freire Guidolin
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  4. Daniela do Amaral Grossi
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  5. Alexandre da Silva Bonifácio
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  6. Raysildo Barbosa Lôbo
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  7. Ricardo da Fonseca
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  8. João Ademir de Oliveira
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  9. Danísio Prado Munari
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Correspondence to Danísio Prado Munari.

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Vargas, G., Buzanskas, M.E., Guidolin, D.G.F. et al. Genetic parameter estimation for pre- and post-weaning traits in Brahman cattle in Brazil. Trop Anim Health Prod 46, 1271–1278 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-014-0640-3

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