Estimation of autosomal and sex-linked heritabilities for growth related traits in Markhoz breed of goats

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

2 Ph.D Candidate, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

Abstract

Separation of autosomal and sex-linked direct additive genetic effects has a high importance in breeding programs. This study was conducted to determine the autosomal and sex-linked additive genetic effects on growth related traits, using 17732 birth to yearling body weight records of Markhoz breed of goats in Sanandaj Markhoz Goat Breeding Center. In the models used to estimate variance components, birth year and season, sex, birth type and weighting age were fixed effects and direct autosomal additive genetic, direct sex-linked additive genetic, maternal additive genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects were considered as random effects. Variance components were estimated by Average Information algorithm of Restricted Maximum Likelihood by using Wombat software. For birth weight, weaning weight, pre-weaning daily weight gain and 6 month, 9 month and yearling weights, direct autosomal heritability estimates were 0.19±0.04, 0.13±0.03, 0.13±0.03, 0.12±0.03, 0.20±0.04 and 0.21±0.04, direct sex-linked heritability estimates were 0.03±0.02, 0.03±0.03, 0.02±0.03, 0.04±0.03, 0.07±0.03 and 0.07±0.03, maternal heritability estimates were 0.06±0.03, 0.05±0.03, 0.05±0.03, 0.05±0.03, 0.04±0.03 and 0.03±0.03 and coefficients of maternal environmental effects were 0.09±0.02, 0.05±0.02, 0.04±0.02, 0.05±0.02, 0.04±0.02 and 0.05±0.03, respectively. The findings showed that sex-linked genes possibly have negligible and close to zero additive genetic effects on body weights at initial ages and more noticeable effects on body weights at higher ages.

Keywords


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