Journal of Animal Science, Vol 73, Issue 11 3253-3258, Copyright © 1995 by American Society of Animal Science

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Estimation of variances due to direct and maternal effects for growth traits of Nelore cattle

J. P. Eler, L. D. Van Vleck, J. B. Ferraz and R. B. Lobo
Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68583-0908, USA.

Estimates of (co)variance components and genetic parameters were obtained for birth, 205-d, and 365-d weight for Nelore cattle in Brazil, using single and multiple-trait animal models. Data were from the Brazilian Zebu Breeders Association (ABCZ). Records of 27,549 calves sired by 587 bulls and raised on pasture in 57 herds were analyzed by restricted maximum likelihood fitting an animal model including direct and maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects. Single and multiple-trait analyses were carried out. Heritability estimates for direct effects were lower than previous values reported for the Nelore breed. The estimates for maternal genetic effects showed that the contribution of this component to the phenotypic variance of birth and weaning weight is not very high but is still present at yearling weight. Correlations between direct and maternal additive genetic effects were negative for all traits analyzed except for yearling weight in the single-trait analysis where the sign was positive but the magnitude was small (+.09). Genetic correlations between weaning and yearling weights were .74 (direct effect) and .84 (maternal effect). Permanent environmental and residual correlations among traits were also obtained.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Forni, D. Gianola, and G. J. M. Rosa Predictive ability and covariance parameters of dynamic linear models for analysis of longitudinal traits1 J Anim Sci, December 1, 2009; 87(12): 3854 - 3864. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Koivula, I. Stranden, and E. A. Mantysaari Direct and maternal genetic effects on first litter size, maturation age, and animal size in Finnish minks J Anim Sci, October 1, 2009; 87(10): 3083 - 3088. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L. Williams, D. J. Garrick, and S. E. Speidel Reducing bias in maintenance energy expected progeny difference by accounting for selection on weaning and yearling weights J Anim Sci, May 1, 2009; 87(5): 1628 - 1637. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				O. D. Vergara, M. F. Ceron-Munoz, E. M. Arboleda, Y. Orozco, and G. A. Ossa Direct genetic, maternal genetic, and heterozygosity effects on weaning weight in a Colombian multibreed beef cattle population J Anim Sci, February 1, 2009; 87(2): 516 - 521. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. L. Sapp, R. Rekaya, and J. K. Bertrand Teat scores in first-parity Gelbvieh cows: Relationship with suspensory score and calf growth traits J Anim Sci, August 1, 2004; 82(8): 2277 - 2284. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. F. Cardoso and R. J. Tempelman Hierarchical Bayes multiple-breed inference with an application to genetic evaluation of a Nelore-Hereford population J Anim Sci, June 1, 2004; 82(6): 1589 - 1601. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. R. C. Nobre, I. Misztal, S. Tsuruta, J. K. Bertrand, L. O. C. Silva, and P. S. Lopes Analyses of growth curves of Nellore cattle by multiple-trait and random regression models J Anim Sci, April 1, 2003; 81(4): 918 - 926. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. E. Z. Mercadante, I. U. Packer, A. G. Razook, J. N. S. G. Cyrillo, and L. A. Figueiredo Direct and correlated responses to selection for yearling weight onreproductive performance of Nelore cows J Anim Sci, February 1, 2003; 81(2): 376 - 384. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]