Genetic correlation of longevity with growth, post-mortem, docility and some morphological traits in the Pirenaica beef cattle breed

Abstract

Survival or longevity is an economically relevant trait in cattle. However, it is not currently included in cattle selection criteria because of the delayed recording of phenotypic data and the high computational demand of survival techniques under proportional hazard models. The identification of longevity-correlated traits that can be early registered in lifetime would therefore be very useful for beef cattle selection processes. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic correlation of survival (SURV) with: growth -birth weight (BW), weight at 120 days (W120), weight at 210 days (W210); carcass -cold carcass weight (CCW), conformation (CON), fatness (FAT) and meat colour (COL); teat morphology -teat thickness (TT), teat length (TL) and udder depth (UD); leg morphology -forward (FL) and backward legs (BL); milk production (MILK) and docility (DOC). In the statistical analysis, SURV was measured in discrete-time intervals and modelled via a sequential threshold model. A series of independent bivariate Bayesian analyses between cow survival and each recorded trait were carried out. The posterior mean estimates (and posterior standard deviation) for the heritability of SURV was 0.05 (0.01); and for the relevant genetic correlations with SURV were 0.07 (0.04), 0.12 (0.05), 0.10 (0.05), 0.15 (0.05), 20.18 (0.06), 0.33 (0.06) and 0.27 (0.15) for BW, W120, W210, CCW, CON, FAT and COL, respectively.

Non-linear recursive models for growth traits in the Pirenaica beef cattle breed

“…The posterior mean estimates of the heritabilities for the independent traits or those registered early in life (W120 and W210) ranged between 0.33 and 0.43. They are in line with previous estimates from the literature obtained in the same breed (Varona et al, 1997;Altarriba et al, 2009;Varona et al, 2012), or other beef cattle populations (Ríos-Utrera and Van Vleck, 2004;Bouquet et al, 2010). The estimates of heritabilities in the dependent traits (W210 and CW365) ranged between 0.28 (W210) to 0.38 (CW365), although they cannot be directly compared with previous estimates, because they are conditioned to the independent trait.…”

Development of sustainable performance index based on production, reproduction, health and longevity for genetic improvement of Sahiwal cattle

“…According to Varona et al. (2012), productive longevity can be defined as the number of calving per female and Banga et al. (2013) reported longevity as a trait of great economic importance in dairy and beef cattle breeding.…”

“…Healthy and long productive life along with good production and reproductive performance is important for successful and profitable dairy farming. According to Varona et al (2012), productive longevity can be defined as the number of calving per female and Banga et al (2013) reported longevity as a trait of great economic importance in dairy and beef cattle breeding. Gracia et al (2015) reported that direct selection for longevity led to improved health; thus, breeding for longevity results in economic benefits.…”

Evaluation of the Genetic Relationship between Longevity and Growth, Milk Yield and Fertility Traits in the Sahiwal Breed in Kenya

“…Longevity or the age at which a cow leaves the breeding herd is a trait of great economic importance in dairy and beef cattle breeding [1]. Productive longevity can also be described as the amount of calving's per female [2]. In beef and dairy cattle, longevity plays a considerable role in the farm economy by increasing the profit realized per cow and enables greater response to selection because fewer animals exit the herd due to involuntary culling [3], a situation that provides greater selection intensity among females, and surplus heifers for sale [1].…”