J. Anim Sci.
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J. Anim Sci. 1988. 66:648-660.
© 1988 American Society of Animal Science
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Direct and Maternal Variances and Covariances and Maternal Phenotypic Effects on Preweaning Growth of Beef Cattle1

R.J.C. Cantet2, D. D. Kress3,4,, D. C. Anderson5, D. E. Doornbos5, P. J. Burfening3 and R. L. Blackwell3,6,

Northern Agricultural Research Center, Havre, MT 59501 and Montana State University, Bozeman 59717

Abstract

Birth weights (BW) and weaning weights (WW) of 4,423 non-creep-fed Hereford calves were used to estimate direct and maternal sources of variation and maternal phenotypic effects (fm). Seventeen different (co)variances among relatives were estimated through Henderson's Method III and restricted estimated maximum likelihood procedures. Direct and maternal (co)variances and fm were evaluated by multiple regression procedures. Estimates of h2 for BW and WW were .28 and .28 respectively, by the paternal half-sib procedure and .45 and .88, respectively, based on full-sibs. Repeatability estimates were .21 for BW and .30 for WW. Heritabilities based on regression of offspring on dam and offspring on sire were .45 and .21 for BW and .28 and .06 for WW, respectively. Negative correlations were found between solutions for additive genetic direct and additive maternal effects (rG). Estimates of rG ranged from –.86 to –1.05 for BW and from –.57 to –.79 for WW. Estimates of heritability for direct effects (h2O), for maternal effects (h2m) and for total additive genetic effects (h2T) were .16 to .27, .18 to .63 and –.02 to .05 for BW and .26 to .32, .27 to .67 and .10 to .20 for WW. Dominance affected both direct and maternal effects for BW and WW. Values of –.15 (BW) and –.25 (WW) were found for fm (path coefficient between the maternal phenotypes of dam and daughter). These results indicated that selection response would be decreased due to the negative genetic correlation between direct and maternal effects.

Footnotes

1 Published with approval of the Director of Montana Agric. Exp. Sta., journal series no. J-2001.

2 Departamento de Zootecnia, Fac. de Agronomia, Univ. de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Present Address: Dept. of Anim. Sci., Univ. of Il, Urbana.

3 Dept. of Anim. and Range Sci., Montana State Univ., Bozeman 59717.

4 Direct reprint requests to this author.

5 Northern Agric. Res. Center, Star Route 36, Box 43, Havre, MT 59501.

6 Authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful suggestions of Daniel Gianola.






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Copyright © 1988 by the American Society of Animal Science.