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Some Growth Relations in Range Cattle¹

Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station

Abstract

Weight gains for five periods of growth and development were obtained on 88 grade and 67 purebred Herefords at the University of Nevada Experimental Range Station in northeastern Elko County. The 10 gross correlations between the five periods were calculated. None of the correlations involving weaning weight were significant. A positive correlation was observed between gains made during the two winter feeding periods. Correlations between succeeding periods were negative and significant. It is concluded that under the variable environmental conditions of this study there is an inverse relation between adaptability to winter feeding and summer grazing on the range.

Genetic, environmental and phenotypic correlations were estimated from the purebred data for the four correlations found significant in the total data. A large, positive genetic correlation was found between gains made during the two winter feeding periods, indicating a common genetic influence on adaptability to winter feeding. In general, environmental correlations were larger than genetic correlations. It is concluded that environmental influences exert the greatest effect on the relation between gains at different periods, but that heredity is also effective.

¹ This work is in cooperation with Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, under Western Regional Project W-1 on beef cattle breeding research.

² Department of Animal Husbandry. The author is indebted to Professor W. C. Rollins of the University of California for assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.