J. Anim Sci.
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J. Anim Sci. 1964. 23:1133-1138.
© 1964 American Society of Animal Science
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Cundiff, L. V.
Right arrow Articles by Willham, R. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Cundiff, L. V.
Right arrow Articles by Willham, R. L.

Genetic Analysis of Some Growth and Carcass Traits in Beef Cattle1

L. V. Cundiff, Doyle Chambers, D. F. Stephens2 and R. L. Willham

Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Stillwater and U. S. Department of Agriculture

Abstract

Data were obtained from 47 sire progeny groups containing 265 Hereford and Angus steers slaughtered at approximately 13 mo. of age. The steers were divided into five groups by herd and year of birth. Intra-group paternal half-sib analyses of variance and covariance were used to estimate heritabilities and genetic, environmental and phenotypic correlations. The heritability estimates obtained for carcass weight per day of age, rib-eye area, rib-eye area per 100 lb. carcass, backfat thickness, carcass grade, carcass yield grade, and estimated percent retail cuts were 0.39, 0.73, 0.29, 0.43, 0.62, 0.36 and 0.40, respectively, indicating that selection for any of these traits would be effective.

The genetic correlations obtained indicate that genes for rapid growth are not antagonistic to those for the production of desirable carcasses, except that a slight increase in backfat thickness may be expected. The major genetic antagonism evidenced in this study was between carcass grade and percent retail cuts. Environmental and genetic correlations influencing the phenotypic correlation between a particular pair of traits differed substantially in some instances. Thus, the phenotypic correlations frequently were not indicative of the underlying genetic relationship.

Footnotes

1 The data for this study were obtained from the Oklahoma project contributing to NC-1, Improvement of Beef Cattle through Breeding Methods.

2 Animal Husbandry Research Division, ARS, U.S.D.A., El Reno, Oklahoma.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1964 by the American Society of Animal Science.