Journal of Animal Science, Vol 71, Issue 12 3339-3343, Copyright © 1993 by American Society of Animal Science

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Muscle cellularity and postnatal growth in the pig

C. M. Dwyer, J. M. Fletcher and N. C. Stickland
Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, U.K.

Fast-growing strains of pigs and of other animals tend to have more muscle fibers than do slow-growing strains. The relationship between fiber number and growth rate was extended by examining pigs within the same strain. Seven litters of pigs (n = 66) were weighted at monthly intervals from birth to approximately 80 kg. The semitendinosus muscle was removed and an estimation of total fiber number, total primary fiber number, and mean secondary:primary fiber number (S:P) ratio was made for each animal. Pig growth was divided into three approximately linear phases: birth to 6 kg, 6 to 25 kg, and 25 kg to slaughter weight. Average daily gain in the first two phases was correlated with birth weight (r = .3614, P < .05 and r = .5873, P < .001, respectively) but was not correlated with total muscle fiber number. In the third growth phase ADG was correlated with muscle fiber number (r = .4149, P < .001) and was not correlated with birth weight. The gain:feed ratio was also calculated for each pig during the third growth phase and was found to be correlated with fiber number (r = .4191, P < .001). These results suggest that muscle fiber number is an important determinant of postnatal growth such that pig littermates with a high fiber number tend to grow faster and more efficiently than littermates with a lower fiber number.

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