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Heterosis and Additive Breed Effects on Feedlot and Carcass Traits from Crossing Angus and Brown Swiss

University of Florida, Gainesville 32611

Abstract

A total of 132 steers, produced over a 2-yr period in a diallel crossbreeding program in which Angus, Brown Swiss, and reciprocal F₁ crossbred cows were bred to bulls of the same three breed-types, were group-fed by breed-type to about 1 cm outside fat. The mathematical model used to determine main and interaction effects included breed of sire, breed of dam, year, and all two-way interactions, plus initial feedlot age and outside fat as covariates. Maternal and individual components of heterosis and additive breed effects were estimated. Additive effects for the Angus breed were expressed as deviations from the Brown Swiss means. Maternal additive effects of the Angus breed on initial weight, slaughter weight, weight per day of age, warm carcass weight, and warm carcass weight per day of age were significant and negative. Individual additive effects for the Angus were negative and significant for all feedlot traits except average daily gain, and were significant for all carcass traits except ribeye area per 100 kg warm carcass and percentage of kidney, pelvic and heart fat. Maternal heterosis effects were in the desirable direction for initial feedlot weight (P<.05) and days on feed (P<.1). Individual heterosis effects were significant only for carcass maturity (–5.5 of a score) and marbling (.95 of a degree). Breed-of-sire x breed-of-dam interaction effects were significant for days on feed, average daily gain, marbling score, and Warner-Bratzler shear value.