RESUMO -Utilizaram-se 7.271 registros de pesos do nascimento aos 196 dias de idade de 952 crias de ovinos Santa Inês, controlados de 1983 a 2000, com os objetivos de verificar, entre os modelos Brody, Von Bertalanffy, Logístico, Gompertz e Richards, aquele que melhor descreve a curva média de crescimento e avaliar a influência de efeitos de ambiente sobre os parâmetros estimados. Os parâmetros foram estimados usando-se o procedimento NLIN do SAS. Para verificar se uma única curva seria adequada para descrever o crescimento de machos e fêmeas, nascidos de partos simples ou duplo, aplicou-se um Gompertz and Richards functions was evaluated using the NLIN procedure of SAS. The growth curve was well fitted by all models but larger residual variation was obtained by the Brody and Logistic models. According to the absolute average residual error, the Gompertz model showed a better fit than the models Von Bertalanffy and Richards. Growth curves differed for males and females, born from single and twin lambing. Contemporary group, type of birth and sex significantly affected the estimation of parameters A and K. The correlation between parameters A and K was negative. Improvements in feeding management and forage storage may decrease the indirect effects of climate and contribute to reduce variation in the growth curves.Key Words: environment effects, equality of parameters, hair sheep, nonlinear model IntroduçãoEm um sistema de produção de ovinos de corte, as características relacionadas ao crescimento são medidas repetidamente em intervalos pré-definidos, caracterizando as chamadas medidas repetidas no tempo. As análises desse tipo de informação podem ser conduzidas de várias formas. Uma possibilidade é a utilização de regressão sobre o tempo, utilizando-se os modelos não-lineares, sendo uma das principais vantagens desse método o agrupamento de várias informações de pesagens associadas à idade, durante o crescimento, em poucos parâmetros biologicamente interpretáveis.Os modelos não-lineares podem ser utilizados para descrever o crescimento do animal ao longo do tempo, possibilitando avaliar os fatores genéticos e de ambiente que influenciam a forma da curva de crescimento e, desse modo, alterá-la por meio de seleção, ou seja, identificando

A total of 17 356 test-day milk yield (TDMY) records from 642 first lactations of Alpine goats were used to model variations in lactation curve using random regression models (RRM). Orthogonal Legendre polynomials and B-splines were evaluated in order to obtain adequate and parsimonious models for the estimation of genetic parameters. The analysis were performed using a single-trait RRM, including the additive genetic, permanent environmental and residual effects. We estimated the mean trend of milk yield, and the additive genetic and permanent environmental covariance functions through random regression using different orders of Orthogonal Legendre polynomial (three to six) and B-spline functions (linear, quadratic and cubic, with three to six knots). This study further evaluated different number of classes of residual variances. The covariance components and the genetic parameters were estimated using the Restricted Maximum Likelihood method. Heritability estimates presented similar trends for both functions. RRMs with a higher number of parameters better described the genetic variation of TDMY throughout the lactation. The most suitable RRM for genetic evaluation of TDMY of Alpine goats is a quadratic B-spline function with six knots, for the mean trend, curves of additive genetic and permanent environmental effects and five classes of residual variance.

RESUMO -Para avaliar a possibilidade de descarte de variáveis de produção em 942 aves de postura por meio de componentes principais, visando eliminar características redundantes e de difícil mensuração, foram utilizados os dados obtidos Principal component analysis in laying hen production traitsABSTRACT -To assess the possibility of discarding production variables in 942 laying hens by principle component analysis to eliminate unnecessary and difficult to measure characteristics, data were obtained from laying hen lines of the genetic breeding program of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa. The traits analyzed were egg production rate (TP) from the 26 th to the 58 th week, individual mean weight at the 34 th (PMI 1 ), 42 th (PMI 2 ), 50 th (PMI 3 ), 58 th (PMI 4 ) and 66 th week (PMI 5 ); egg mean weight at the the 34 th (PMO 1 ), 42 nd (PMO 2 ), 50 th (PMO 3 ), 58 th (PMO 4 ) and 66 th weeks of age (PMO 5 ).Eight of the 11 principal components showed variance lower than 0.7 (eigenvalue lower than 0.7), suggesting 8 variables to discard. The discarded variables were those that showed the highest coefficients, in absolute value, from the last principal component because variables highly correlated with the principal components of smaller variance represent practically insignificant variation. The discarded variables presented significant simple linear correlation with the others, therefore, they were redundant. Based on these results, the following variables are recommended for use in future experiments: TP, PMI 1 , PMO 4 .

Cow stayability plays a major role on the overall profitability of the beef cattle industry, as it is directly related to reproductive efficiency and cow's longevity. Stayability (STAY63) is usually defined as the ability of the cow to calve at least three times until 76 months of age. This is a late‐measured and lowly heritable trait, which consequently constrains genetic progress per time unit. Thus, the use of genomic information associated with novel stayability traits measured earlier in life will likely result in higher prediction accuracy and faster genetic progress for cow longevity. In this study, we aimed to compare pedigree‐based and single‐step GBLUP (ssGBLUP) methods as well as to estimate genetic correlations between the proposed stayability traits: STAY42, STAY53 and STAY64, which are measured at 52, 64 and 76 months of cow's age, considering at least 2, 3 and 4 calving, respectively. ssGBLUP yielded the highest prediction accuracy for all traits. The heritability estimates for STAY42, STAY53, STAY63 and STAY64 were 0.090, 0.151, 0.152 and 0.143, respectively. The genetic correlations between traits ranged from 0.899 (STAY42 and STAY53) to 0.985 (STAY53 and STAY63). The high genetic correlation between STAY42 and STAY53 suggests that besides being related to cow longevity, STAY53 is also associated with the early‐stage reproductive efficiency. Thus, STAY53 is recommended as a suitable selection criterion for reproductive efficiency due to its higher heritability, favourable genetic correlation with other traits, and measured earlier in life, compared with the conventional stayability trait, that is STAY63.

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-To provide information that can contribute to the genetic evaluation and selection in Tabapuã cattle, genetic parameters were estimated for growth traits using a multi-trait animal model. (Co)variance components were estimated by a Bayesian approach using the Gibbs Sampler. Moderate and similar responses to selection are expected when selecting for weights at the four ages evaluated, since the direct heritability estimates were similar and of average magnitude (0.18 to 0.19). The direct and maternal additive genetic correlations between all pairs of weights were higher than 0.70, indicating a high degree of association between the four traits. This suggests that using any of them as selection criteria will result in correlated response in the others and that multi-trait analysis are recommended for the genetic evaluation of growth traits in beef cattle for exploiting this association.

RESUMO -Foram utilizados 10.238 registros semanais de produção de leite no dia do controle leiteiro provenientes de 388 primeiras lactações de cabras da raça Saanen visando comparar diferentes modelos de regressão aleatória (MRA).Primeiramente, foram comparados cinco modelos, cujos termos exponenciais da função de Wilmink assumiram os seguintes valores -0,0350; -0,0500; -0,0565; -0,0680 e -0,1000 (W0350, W0500, W0565, W0680 e W1000, respectivamente), Palavras-chave: função de Wilmink, leite, modelagem, produção de leite no dia do controle, variância residual Random regression models in the milk yield evaluation in Saanen goatsABSTRACT -It was used 10,238 weekly test day records from 388 first lactations of Saanen goats with the objective of comparing random regression models (RRM). Firstly, it was compared five models, whose exponential terms of Wilmink function assumed the following values: -0.0350; -0.0500; -0.0565; -0.0680 and -0.1000 (W0350, W0500, W0565, W0680 and W1000, respectively) by considering homogeneity of residual variance over the lactation period. The value -0.0500 was kept in the model W0500 whereas models W0350, W0565, W0680 and W1000 used values -0.0350; -0.0565; -0.0680 and -0.1000, respectively, replacing the value -0.0500, proposed by the original model used in dairy cattle. After choosing the best model according to ln L, homogeneity and heterogeneity for residual variance: homogeneity, two classes, three classes, four classes, five classes and six classes along the lactation were evaluated by using AIC, BIC and ln L criteria. According to criterion used, W0350 presents the best fit among the evaluated models. With regard to residual variance, the use of six classes over lactation is indicated by AIC, BIC, ln L and likelihood ratio test. Heritability estimates over lactation, for the best model, ranges from 0.07 (2 nd lactation week) to 0.25 (20 th lactation week).

RESUMO -Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar a divergência genética de três linhagens de matrizes de corte do Programa de Melhoramento Genético da UFV. Foram avaliados dados de 270 aves, 90 de cada linhagem, para estudo das características dias para o primeiro ovo (DPPO), taxa de postura da 22 a à 56 a semana (TP), peso médio individual na 32 a (PMI1), 40 a (PMI2), 48 a (PMI3), 56 a (PMI4) e 64 a semanas de idade (PMI5); e peso médio do ovo, obtido pela média da pesagem de três ovos na 32 a (PMO1), 40 a (PMO2), 48 a (PMO3), 56 a (PMO4) e 64 a semanas de idade (PMO5). Para avaliar a divergência, foram utilizados dois métodos: hierárquico do vizinho mais próximo e otimização de Tocher. Pelo método hierárquico do vizinho mais próximo, utilizando-se a distância de Mahalanobis ao quadrado (D 2 ) como medida de dissimilaridade, formou-se um único grupo. Pelo método de otimização de Tocher, foram formados dois grupos, comprovando que os dois métodos foram discordantes na avaliação da divergência genética de linhas de aves de corte. As características que apresentaram as contribuições relativas mais expressivas para a divergência foram, respectivamente, PMO1 (25,71%), DDPO (21,76%), PMI4 (17,65%) e PMI2 (13,04%). Palavras-chave: distância de Mahalanobis, frango de corte, método de otimização de Toucher, método do vizinho mais próximoGenetic divergence in meat-type hens using cluster analysis ABSTRACT -Genetic divergence among three lineages of meat-type hens from the Genetic Breeding Program of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa was evaluated for the following traits: days at first egg (DPPO), egg production rate (TP) from 22 nd to 56 th week, body weight on the 32 nd (PMI1), on 40 th (PMI2), at 48 th (PMI3), at 56 th (PMI4) and at the 64 th week (PMI5), egg weight on the 32 nd (PMO1), on 40 th (PMO2), at 48 th (PMO3), at 56 th (PMO4) and at the 64 th week (PMO5). Traits were measured on 270 hens (90 of each lineage) and two different methods were used to evaluate genetic divergence. For the single linkage hierarchical method, using the squared Mahalanobis distance (D 2 ) as the dissimilarity measure, only one single group was formed. When using Tocher's optimization method, two groups were formed, thus indicating a disagreement between the results of the two methods. PMO1 (25.71%), DDPO (21.76%), PMI4 (17.65%) e PMI2 (13.04%) were the traits with the most expressive relative contributions to genetic divergence among the lineages.