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Animal Science Departmental Report 2004-2005 Return to Swine articles
Genetic Correlations Between Growth and Carcass Traits S.
H. Oh, D. H. Lee1 and M. T. See 1Hakyong
National University, Ansung, Korea Introduction Pig breeding is currently accomplished with estimated breeding values (EBVs) or expected progeny differences (EPDs) to improve growth rate and backfat thickness. However, an optimum selection strategy would be improved with carcass and growth traits in balance. Therefore, it is important to investigate the relationship between growth and carcass traits to determine if undesirable genetic correlations exist between them. The objective of this study is to estimate genetic parameters of growth and carcass traits that are average daily gain (ADG), days to 90kg (DAY), backfat thickness (BF), eye muscle area (EMA) and dressing percentage (DP) in pigs. Materials and MethodsData were composed of average daily gain (ADG), days to 90kg (DAY), backfat thickness (BF), eye muscle area (EMA) and dressing percentage (DP) from 14,555 individuals at a farm in South Korea. Backfat thickness, EMA, and DP were measured with PIGlog 105 (SFK Technology) The statistical model included year-season, breed, sex and parity
as fixed effects, and the random genetic effect of animal. Test day and weight
were included as covariates in the model. Test day is the period from
individual birth date to test date.
Data were analyzed with a multivariate animal model using software that
used an EM-REML algorithm (REMLF90; Misztal, 2001) to obtain the (co)variance
component estimates. Results and DiscussionResults of analyses from the five-trait animal model for DAY,
ADG, BF, EMA, and DP are given in Table 1. The estimate of heritability for
days to 90kg in this study was 0.21 and was lower than previous studies. The estimate for ADG was 0.67 and consistent with
average literature estimate of 0.62 by Hutchens et al. (1981). For backfat, the estimate of this study
was 0.44, and in the range of previous studies. Genetic parameters for EMA and DP in pigs have not been as extensively published
in the literature as growth traits, but Sellier (1998) reviewed two studies and
reported heritabilities as 0.47 and 0.30 for loin muscle area, and 0.48 and
0.36 for DP, respectively. In this study, the estimate of heritability for EMA
and DP were 0.24 and 0.45, respectively. Therefore, genetic improvement through
carcass traits would be possible enough from the estimates of heritability in
carcass traits. Genetic and phenotypic correlations
among growth and carcass traits are also given in Table 1. Days to 90kg were
estimated to have low negative genetic and favorable correlations with ADG of
-0.07 and -0.64, respectively. It was also estimated to have low genetic
correlations with BF, EMA and DP of 0.03, -0.02 and -0.07, respectively, and
low phenotypic correlations with those of 0.13, 0.17 and 0.01, respectively. The
estimate of genetic correlation between DAY and ADG differed greatly with that
reported by Lubritz et al. (1991). Estimates of genetic correlation between days
to 100kg and backfat have been reported -0.13 on average with four different
breeds (Li and Kennedy, 1994) Chen et al. (2002) reported that genetic
correlation estimates of days to 113.5kg with backfat and loin eye area
adjusted to 113.5kg did not differ from zero.
Genetic and phenotypic correlations
between ADG and BF are generally very low (Stanislaw et al., 1967; Li and
Kennedy, 1994). The result in this study was in close agreement with those
reports. However, Bereskin and Davey (1978) estimated phenotypic correlation of
ADG and BF as 0.59, and McPhee et al. (1979) reported that genetic and
phenotypic correlations as 0.55 and 0.10, respectively. Genetic correlation
estimate between ADG and EMA was -0.10. Between EMA and BF, moderately unfavorable
genetic correlation was estimated, and this finding is confirmed by Chen et al.
(2002). Dressing percentage had no genetic and
phenotypic relationship with growth traits, but showed highly negative genetic
and phenotypic correlations with BF and moderately positive genetic and
phenotypic correlations. Few genotypic correlations related to dressing
percentage have been previously reported in pigs. Sellier (1998) reviewed
genetic correlations between ultrasonic
BF and DP, and loin muscle area and DP. These estimates werereported
as 0.18 and 0.50, respectively. From the results of this study, growth rate was
not related to DP genetically, however, including carcass traits in selection
program would be desirable to improve carcass components because the estimate
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ADG = Average daily gain; DAY = Days to 90kg; BF = Backfat
thickness; EMA= Eye muscle area; DP =
Dressing percent |