Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/11248
Title: Variance components due to direct and maternal effects for growth traits of Australian beef cattle
Contributor(s): Meyer, Karin  (author)
Publication Date: 1992
DOI: 10.1016/0301-6226(92)90017-x
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/11248
Abstract: Variance components for birth, weaning, yearling and final weight in Australian Hereford, Angus and Zebu Cross cattle were estimated by Restricted Maximum Likelihood. Six different animal models were fitted for each trait and breed, ranging from a simple model with animals as the only random effect to the most comprehensive model allowing for both genetic and environmental maternal effects and a genetic covariance between direct and maternal effects. The most detailed model generally provided the best fit to the data, though differences between models with at least one maternal effect (genetic or environmental) were often not significant. Ignoring maternal effects, direct heritability (h²) estimates were inflated substantially, in particular for growth till weaning. Significant maternal effects were found in all analyses except for final weight in Angus. There were marked differences between breeds in the relative magnitude of h² and the maternal heritability, and the direct-maternal genetic correlation (rAM). For Angus, rAM was low, positive and not significantly different from zero for all traits. For Hereford and Zebu Cross cattle, rAM was negative, moderate to large for weaning weight (-0.59 and -0.78) and somewhat smaller for yearling weight (-0.48 and -0.39). For Herefords, maternal environmental effects were consistently more important than maternal genetic effects.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Livestock Production Science, 31(3-4), p. 179-204
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Place of Publication: Netherlands
ISSN: 1872-6070
0301-6226
1871-1413
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 070201 Animal Breeding
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970107 Expanding Knowledge in the Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
830301 Beef Cattle
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU)
Journal Article

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