Is Variation in Growth Trajectories genetically correlated with Meat quality Traits in Australian Terminal Lambs?

Abstract

This study used meat quality traits on 5164 crossbred terminal lambs and a total of 32061 weight records measured between the ages of 75 to 250 days to do a bivariate random regression model, to determine the genetic relationship between growth patterns and meat quality traits in lambs. The genetic correlations between both weight and growth at different ages and carcass eye muscle depth (CEMD), fat depth (FAT5), shear force (SHF5), pH of the M. Semitendinosus (pHST) and percentage of intramuscular fat (IMF) were calculated. We found that genetic correlations of early growth (100-150d) were higher compared to late growth (200-250d) for CEMD 0.43 vs. 0.14; FAT5 0.49 vs. 0.14; SHF5 -0.50 vs. -0.26; pHST -0.18 vs. 0.15 and IMF 0.27 vs. 0.12. This study showed the potential to influence meat quality when growth curves are changed by breeding.