Heterosis and Reciprocal Effect For Body Weight and Leather Properties in Hybrid Goats

Abstract

Identification and evaluation of economically important traits in livestock is central to genetic improvement. The objective of this study was to evaluate heterosis and reciprocal effects for bodyweight and leather properties among progenies of pure and reciprocal crossing of West African Dwarf (WAD) and Red Sokoto (RS) goats. Bodyweights of 96 kids were recorded at birth, weaning and yearling. Skins collected from slaughtered goats at yearling were processed to leather using vegetable tanning approach. The leathers were subjected to physical analysis to determine Thickness, Percentage Elongation (PE), Surface Area, weight and grain properties comprising Load at Crack, Load at Tear, Distension at Crack and Distension at Tear. Heterotic effect for bodyweight was negative at birth (-8.99%) and weaning (-11.15%) but positive at yearling (6.64%). Specific heterosis for bodyweight at yearling was higher for progenies of WAD does serviced with RS bucks. General and specific heterosis were positive for all the leather traits except PE. Specific heterosis was higher when RS does were serviced with WAD bucks. Reciprocal effects for bodyweight reduces with increase in goats' age (Birth > Weaning > Yearling: 9.88 > 6.28 > 5.62).Reciprocal effects for grain properties were generally higher than other leather traits. This study concluded that WAD and RS goats are dissimilar in leather traits and bodyweight at different ages, and that choice of sire or dam for successful crossbreeding programme is trait dependent.

Estimation of breed effects and non-additive genetic variation for ostrich slaughter and skin traits

“…These results shows that the body weight of ostriches can thus be improved above the midparent values by crossbreeding the domesticated SAB strain with KR ostriches. Similar estimates of heterosis for live weight have been reported for goats (Afolabi et al, 2017), sheep (Iwan, 1971) and cattle (Theunissen, 2011). The only skin trait that was subject to a signi cant level of non-additive genetic variation was skin size, where the crossbred progeny outperformed the midparent value of the pure breeds (Table 4).…”