Estimation of breeding value, genetic parameters and maternal effects of economic traits in rural male parent line chicken using pedigree relationships in an animal model

Author(s):  
Rajkumar Ullengala ◽  
Lawrence Leslie Leo Prince ◽  
Santosh Haunshi ◽  
Chandan Paswan ◽  
Rudranath Chatterjee
2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. Walkom ◽  
M. G. Jeyaruban ◽  
B. Tier ◽  
D. J. Johnston

The temperament of cattle is believed to affect the profitability of the herd through impacting production costs, meat quality, reproduction, maternal behaviour and the welfare of the animals and their handlers. As part of the national beef cattle genetic evaluation in Australia by BREEDPLAN, 50 935 Angus and 50 930 Limousin calves were scored by seedstock producers for temperament using docility score. Docility score is a subjective score of the animal’s response to being restrained and isolated within a crush, at weaning, and is scored on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 representing the quiet and 5 the extremely nervous or anxious calves. Genetic parameters for docility score were estimated using a threshold animal model with four thresholds (five categories) from a Bayesian analysis carried out using Gibbs sampling in THRGIBBS1F90 with post-Gibbs analysis in POSTGIBBSF90. The heritability of docility score on the observed scale was 0.21 and 0.39 in Angus and Limousin, respectively. Since the release of the docility breeding value to the Australian Limousin population there has been a favourable trend within the national herd towards more docile cattle. Weak but favourable genetic correlations between docility score and the production traits indicates that docility score is largely independent of these traits and that selection to improve temperament can occur without having an adverse effect on growth, fat, muscle and reproduction.


1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Diop ◽  
L. D. Van Vleck

AbstractEstimates 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.


Author(s):  
Sheila Aikins-Wilson ◽  
Mehdi Bohlouly ◽  
Sven König

Abstract Tail length and tail lesions are major trigger for tail biting in pigs. Against this background, two datasets were analyzed to estimate genetic parameters for tail characteristics and growth traits. Dataset 1 considered measurements for trait tail length (T-LEN) and for the growth traits birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), post weaning weight (PWW) and average daily gain (ADG) from 9,348 piglets. Piglets were born in the period from 2015 to 2018, and kept on the university Gießen research station. Dataset 2 included 4,943 binary observations from 1,648 pigs from the birth years 2016 to 2019 for tail lesions (T-LES) as indicators for nail necrosis, tail abnormalities or tail biting. Tail lesions were recorded at 30 ± 7 days after entry for rearing (T-Les-1), at 50 ± 7 days after entry for rearing (end of rearing period, T-LES-2), and 130 ± 20 days after entry for rearing (end of fattening period, T-LES-3). Genetic statistical model evaluation for dataset 1 based on Akaike’s information criterion and likelihood ration tests suggested multiple-trait animal models considering covariances between direct and maternal genetic effects. The direct heritability for T-LEN was 0.42 (±0.03), indicating the potential for genetic selection on short tails. The maternal genetic heritability for T-LEN was 0.05 (±0.04), indicating influence of uterine characteristics on morphological traits. The negative correlation between direct and maternal effects for T-LEN of -0.35 (±0.13), as well as the antagonistic relationships (i.e., positive direct genetic correlations in the range from 0.03 to 0.40) between T-LEN with the growth traits BW, WW, PWW and ADG, complicate selection strategies and breeding goal definitions. The correlations between direct effects for T-LEN and maternal effects for breeding goal traits, and vice versa, were positive, but associated with quite large SE. The heritability for T-LES when considering the three repeated measurements was 0.23 (±0.04) from the linear (repeatability of 0.30) and 0.21 (±0.06) (repeatability of 0.29) from the threshold model. The breeding value correlations between T-LES-3 with breeding values from the repeatability models were quite large (0.74 – 0.90), suggesting trait lesion recording at the end of the rearing period. To understand all genetic mechanisms in detail, ongoing studies are focusing on association analyses between T-LEN and T-LES, and the identification of tail biting from an actor’s perspective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-121
Author(s):  
Rodica Stefania Pelmuș ◽  
Mircea Cătălin Rotar ◽  
Cristina Lazăr ◽  
Răzvan Alexandru Uță

Abstract The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for test-day traits milk yield and the breeding value in Romanian Spotted, Simmental type cattle. Random regression test-day animal model was used to estimate the genetic parameters. The number of records were 2062 test-day from 302 cows. The data were obtained from Romanian Breeding Association Romanian Spotted, Simmental type. The heritability estimates values for milk yield ranged between 0.377 and 0.417. The heritability for fat test-day yield in our study was low the values ranged between 0.117 and 0.236 and for protein test-day yield was medium, the values ranged between 0.308 and 0.372. The breeding value for the best ten cows for milk yield ranged from 1946.57 to 3250.38 kg, for fat yield were between 64.92 and 98.86 kg and for protein ranged from 67.26 to 102.21 kg. The correlations between test-day milk yields ranging from 0.28 to 1. Genetic correlations between test day fat and protein yields were high.


2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilbert Jeyaruban ◽  
Bruce Tier ◽  
David Johnston ◽  
Hans Graser

The advantages of using a univariate threshold animal model (TAM) over the conventional linear animal model (AM) in the development of a genetic evaluation system for feet and leg traits of Angus cattle were explored. The traits were scored on a scale of 1–9 with scores 5 and 6 being the most desirable. The genetic parameters and estimated breeding values for front feet angle (FA), rear feet angle (RA), front feet claw set (FC), rear feet claw set (RC), rear leg hind view (RH) and rear leg side view (RS) were compared from AM and TAM. In order to predict breeding values to identify the animals with intermediate optimum, the scores were categorised to form three groups to differentiate the desirable group (5–6) from the other two groups with less desirable feet and leg appearances (1–4 and 7–9). The AM and TAM were used to estimate genetic parameters for the grouped data as well as the original score data. A TAM using the group data was used to predict the probability and breeding value for the desirable intermediate group. For the original score data, estimated heritabilities on the underlying scale, using TAM, were 0.50, 0.46, 0.35, 0.44, 0.32 and 0.22 for FA, FC, RA, RC, RH and RS, respectively, and were 0.01–0.18 higher than the heritabilities estimated using AM. Genetic correlation between the six traits using a bivariate TAM with all scores ranged from 0.02 to 0.50 with front and rear angles had the highest genetic correlation at 0.50. For all six traits, proportion in the intermediate desirable group was higher than the other two groups combined. The low annual genetic change observed for all six traits over the 10 years of data recording reflected the lack of directional selection to improve the traits in Angus cattle. For genetic evaluation of feet and leg traits with an intermediate optimum, TAM is a preferred method for estimating genetic parameters and predicting breeding values for the desirable category. The TAM has now been implemented for regular estimated breeding value analysis of feet and leg traits of Angus cattle.


2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-411
Author(s):  
N. Mielenz ◽  
M. Schmutz ◽  
L. Schüler

Abstract. Title of the paper: Mortality of laying hens housed in single and group cages This study provides genetic parameters for mortality of laying hens estimated with linear and threshold models. Records of one line from a commercial breeding programme of White Leghorns from three generations were available. Data included observations of 8636 hens from single and from 6908 hens of group cages. Mortality was defined as death in the first six months of lay with dead=1 and alive=0. The average mortality was 3.3% in single and 6.3% in group cages. The binary traits were analysed separately by linear animal (LAM), by threshold animal (TAM) and by threshold sire models. Further the two mortalities were analysed together by a linear-linear animal (LLAM) and threshold-threshold animal model (TTAM). The LLAM estimates of heritability were 1.5% for single and 3.2% for group cages. The heritability estimates of TTAM ranged from 9.6% to 9.9%. The rank correlations between breeding values of LAM and TAM were for all sires, the 10% best and the 5% best sires in the range 0.96 to 1.00. The analysis of rank correlations of the linear and threshold models showed: The LLAM provides a good (but only suboptimal) alternative for breeding value estimation of mortality in the investigated laying hen population.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247779
Author(s):  
U. Rajkumar ◽  
L. Leslie Leo Prince ◽  
K. S. Rajaravindra ◽  
S. Haunshi ◽  
M. Niranjan ◽  
...  

Variance and covariance components of growth and production traits were analyzed employing REML animal model to assess the Dahlem Red (PD-3) chicken population for direct additive genetic, maternal effects and to estimate the estimated breeding value (EBV), genetic parameters, genetic trends and rate of inbreeding (ΔF) utilizing seven generation’s data. The generation and hatch had significant (P≤0.01) effect on the body weight at 0 day (BW0), 2 (BW2), 4 (BW4) and 6 weeks (BW6) and shank length at six weeks of age (SL6). The average least squares means (LSM) for BW6 and SL6 were 273.93±0.62 g and 53.97±0.05 mm, respectively. All the production traits were significantly (P≤0.01) influenced by generation and hatch. The average LSM for age at sexual maturity (ASM), egg production up to 40 weeks (EP40) and egg mass up to 40 weeks (EM40) were 168.82±0.25 d, 72.60±0.41 eggs and 4.21±0.07 kg, respectively. Model 5 with additive direct, maternal genetic, maternal permanent environmental and residual variance components was the best for BW0, BW2 and BW4 based on the AIC values obtained in WOMBAT. Model 4 was the best model for BW6, SL6, ASM, EP40 and EM40 with additive direct, maternal permanent environmental and residual variance components. Maternal effects were higher during early age, decreased with age, and remained present until 20 weeks of age. The heritability (h2) estimates were low to moderate in magnitude for all the growth traits and ranged from 0.02±0.03 to 0.19±0.03. The maternal heritability was high at hatch (0.35±0.06), decreased gradually until 4th week (0.02±0.01) and ceased afterwards. The heritabilities of EP40 (0.11±0.03) and EM40 (0.12±0.04) were low. The direct additive genetic correlations (ra) between BW2, BW4, BW6 and SL6 were high and positive (P≤ 0.05). The additive genetic and maternal permanent environmental correlation between EP40 and EM40 were high and positive (P≤ 0.05). The EBV of EM40 was significant (P≤ 0.05) with 0.48 kg/generation in PD-3 chicken at the end of the seventh generation. The EBV of EP40 showed an increasing trend with a genetic gain of 1.87 eggs per generation. The average inbreeding coefficient of the population was 0.019 and average ΔF was 0.007 over the last seven generations of selection. The EBV trends for primary and associated traits showed linear trends in the desired direction and negligible inbreeding.


Author(s):  
M.S. Khan ◽  
K. Z. Gondal ◽  
S. H. Raza ◽  
A. A. Asghar

There are many computational algorithms available for estimating (co) variance components under multiple trait models. Paternal half-sib correlation is the most commonly used method for estimating genetic parameters of economic traits of buffaloes. The models used are Single trait, ignoring covariances with other traits. The relationship matrices are also ignored. This study was undertaken to estimate genetic parameters of first lactation traits of Nili Ravi buffaloes under a multiple trait animal model. First lactation milk yield was l7% heritable when traits such as age of calving interval were considered. Age at first calving was 18% heritable with very low genetic correlations with other traits. Lactation length, dry period and calving interval were lowly heritable traits. Estimates differed by inclusion or exclusion of traits due to the covariances present among all these traits. A high genetic correlation between mills yield and lactation length (0.74) does not warrant the selection of milk yield as the only trait.


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