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Heterosis and Breed Maternal and Transmitted Effects in Beef Cattle III. Growth Traits of Steers^1,2,3,6,7,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Clay Center NE 68933 and University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 68583

Abstract

Data were analyzed on 200-day weight, average daily gain (ADG) from 200 to 312 days, 312-day weight, ADG from 312 to 424 days and 424-day weight on 584 steers produced in 1973 and 1974 in a four-breed diallel crossing design including Red Poll, Brown Swiss (European and domestic), Hereford and Angus breeds to estimate heterosis and breed maternal and transmitted effects on major economic traits of beef cattle.

Effects of heterosis were important (P< .01) for weight at 200(12.7 kg), 312 (15.6 kg) and 424 (15.2 kg) days. Effects of heterosis on ADG decreased with increasing age of calf; most of the heterosis observed was expressed on preweaning ADG. Breed mean heterosis (
) was highest in the Brown Swiss and Red Poll breeds and lowest in the Hereford breed; differences in
were significant for weight at 200, 312 and 424 days.

Reciprocal differences were important (P< .01) in four of the six crosses. The average reciprocal effect on weight in favor of steers with Red Poll and Brown Swiss dams from Hereford-Red Poll, Angus-Red Poll, Hereford-Brown Swiss and Angus-Brown Swiss crosses was 35.4, 37.3 and 38.4 kg at 200, 312 and 424 days, respectively (P<.01). Reciprocal differences were not generally important (P>.05) in Red Poll-Brown Swiss and Hereford-Angus crosses.

Breed maternal effects (
) were important; Brown Swiss and Red Poll breeds showed superiority in
to Hereford and Angus breeds for weight at 200, 312 and 424 days. Angus and Hereford breeds did not differ (P> .05) from each other in
for weight at 200, 312 and 424 days.

The rank of breeds (high to low) in breed transmitted effects (
) for 424-day weight was Brown Swiss, Angus, Hereford and Red Poll; all breeds differed significantly from each other.

The superiority of the Red Poll breed over Hereford and Angus breeds in
and in
, compensated for its low
relative to these breeds and as a result, the Red Poll breed in crosses was equal to the Angus breed in crosses and significantly superior to the Hereford breed in crosses for weight at 424 days.

¹ Published as Paper No. 5461 Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, Lincoln.

² This paper was prepared while the senior author was in residence as a Visiting Professor on the faculty of the Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, 77843, through an assignment of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act.

³ The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful suggestions of G. E. Dickerson in the analysis of the data and in the presentation of results.

⁶ Contribution from Regional Project NC-1, Improvement of Beef Cattle Through Breeding Methods.

⁷ Authors express appreciation to L. G. Beerwinkle, R. Sprowls, C. DeGeer and W. Mitchell for data collection, and to W. Hinerman and B. Knapp, Jr. for statistical analysis.

⁴ U. S. Meat Animal Research Center, Science and Education Administration, Clay Center, NE 68933.

⁵ Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, U. S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE 68933.