A new way to measure milk yield persistency: a genetic point of view with application to Gyr (Bos indicus) cattle

• Published in: Journal of dairy research Vol. 82; no. 4; pp. 385 - 390
• Main Authors: Pereira, Rodrigo Junqueira, Ayres, Denise Rocha, El Faro, Lenira, Vercesi Filho, Aníbal Eugênio, Verneque, Rui da Silva, de Albuquerque, Lucia Galvão
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Cambridge University Press 01.11.2015
• Subjects: Animals; Bos indicus; Cattle - genetics; Cattle - physiology; Dairy cattle; Female; Lactation - genetics; Lactation - physiology; Milk; Models, Biological; Multivariate analysis; Time Factors; dairy cattle; genetic parameters; Bayesian inference; persistency
• ISSN: 0022-0299; 1469-7629
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022029915000448

The objective of this work was to estimate genetic parameters for a measure of persistency of milk yield and to evaluate its association with 305-d cumulative milk yield and lactation length. 12 346 records from 8202 dairy Gyr cows including lactations up to fifth calving were used. The measure of persistency was obtained from one of the parameters of a quadratic model that describes the cumulative yield across lactation as a function of days in milk. A three-trait multivariate analysis was done. Heritability and repeatability for persistency were 0.08 and 0.21, respectively. Deviance Information Criterion provided evidence that the additive genetic covariance between the measure of persistency studied and 305-d cumulative yield is zero. Genetic correlations between persistency and lactation length were 0.50 and 0.27 for first or all lactations, respectively. Milk yield persistency as measured in this study has low heritability. Selection for persistency can increase lactation length. The measure of milk yield persistency studied here is genetically independent of total milk yield and can be included in routine genetic evaluations of dairy cattle.