Evaluation of Genetic Parameters of Growth of Pelibuey and Blackbelly Sheep through Pedigree in Mexico

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 6; p. 691
• Main Authors: Hernandez, Víctor Rodríguez, Vega Murillo, Vicente, Costa, Roberto Germano, Parraguirre Lezama, Conrado, Valencia de Ita, Maria De Los Angeles, Romero-Arenas, Omar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 10.03.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Age; Animal husbandry; Animal models; Animals; Archives & records; Birth weight; Breeding; direct heritability; Environmental effects; Estimators; genetic effect; Genetic factors; Heritability; Impact analysis; Lamb; Livestock; Maternal effects; Ovis aries; Parameters; Pedigree; Rural areas; Sheep; Weaning; Mexico; genetic effect; pedigree; direct heritability; sheep
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani12060691

Birth weight (BW) and weaning weight (WW) data from Pelibuey and Blackbelly lambs belonging to the Asociación Mexicana de Criadores de Ovinos (AMCO) were used with the objective of estimating genetic parameters (heritability and genetic correlations) and analyzing the growth characteristics of ewes born and weaned at different times of the same year from different herds with pedigree registration. In the case of Pelibuey lambs, the animal model included the weaning weight at 75 days of age, considering the direct additive genetic effect, maternal additive genetic effect, covariance between direct and maternal effects, as well as the permanent environmental effect of the mother. The direct estimators of heritability for Pelibuey were BW = 0.01 ± 0.021 and WW = 0.31 ± 0.074 and for Blackbelly they were BW = 0.05 ± 0.042 and WW = 0.41 ± 0.146. In the case of the maternal heritability estimators in Pelibuey they were BW = 0.02 ± 0.040 and WW = 0.21 ± 0.121 and for Blackbelly they were BW = 0.12 ± 0.054 and WW = 0.28 ± 0.121. The magnitude of the estimates of genetic correlations between direct and maternal effects for adjusted weaning weight at 75 days of age indicate that genetic progress may be slow in a breeding program. However, these selection results could be included in the short term in the breeding programs for the Pelibuey and Blackbelly breeds in Mexico, for livestock development in low-income rural areas.