Jader Silva Lopes

Efeito da interação genótipo × ambiente sobre o peso ao nascimento, aos 205 e aos 550 dias de idade de bovinos da raça Nelore na Região Sul do Brasil

This study aimed to evaluate the genotype × environment interaction effect on birth (PN), weaning (P205) and yearling (P550) weights of Nellore cattle raised in 46 farms in three states (Rio Grande do Sul-RS, Santa Catarina-SC and Parana-PR) of the South Region of Brazil, from 1976 to 2001. Records on 10,874 animals, sired by 425 bulls and 7,629 dams were used to estimate (co)variance components by REML. Univariate and bivariate models included the contemporaneous group, feeding type (P205 and P550), management type (P205 and P550), age of cow at calving (PN and P205) covariate (linear and quadratic components) as fixed effects and direct additive genetic (PN, P205 and P550), maternal (PN and P205) and residual as random effects. Direct heritability estimates of PN, P205 and P550 within each State ranged from 0.38 ± 0.04 to 0.56 ± 0.08; from 0.22 ± 0.03 to 0.47 ± 0.05 and from 0.35 ± 0,03 to 0.51 ± 0,05, respectively. Maternal heritability estimates for the States ranged from 0.19 ± 0.03 to 0.31 ± 0.03 (PN) and from 0.16 ± 0.08 to 0.48 ± 0.07 (P205). Genetic correlations for PN, P205 and P550 between states were 0.75 ± 0.03, 0.25 ± 0.05 and 0.64 ± 0.07; 0.79 ± 0.08, -0.04 ± 0.07 and 0.41 ± 0.07 and 0.53 ± 0.02, 0.08 ± 0.15 and 0.76 ± 0.09 respectively for the RS-SC, RS-PR and SC-PR pairs. Overall, the Spearman correlations between breeding values (DEP) for PN, P205 and P550 predicted in different States were low. Changes in sire ranks between states indicate the presence of genotype× environment interaction in growth traits of Nellore cattle.

Efeito de fatores ambientais sobre escores de avaliação visual à desmama e estimativa de parâmetros genéticos, para bezerros da raça charolês

To evaluate the influence of environmental factors on visual scores at weaning on Charolais breed animals, and to estimate genetic parameters, it were used records collected by PROMEBO from 1994 to 2002. The traits evaluated were the visual scores for conformation (C), precocity (P), muscling (M) and size (T) at weaning. First of all, it was performed an analyse of variance to verify wich environmental effects were significant on the studied characteristics. The model used considered, as fixed, the effect of contemporaneous group (GC), as covariables, the effects of age of the dam at parturition (IV), age at weaning (ID) and Julian date of birth (DJ) and the residual effect. All the variables included in the model affected significantly visual scores (P<0,05), except DJ, for M, P and C. From the adjusted averages for C, P, M and T it were adjusted regression equations for IV, ID and DJ. It was observed that cows freshening between 7 and 8 years produced calves with larger scores. In relation to the weaning age, it was observed that the animals weaned later presented more elevated visual scores. In relation to the Julian date of born, it was verified that calves born in June were favored in their scores, when compared with animal that born in December and January. The genetic parameters were estimated by Restricted Maximum Likelihood Method, using an animal model considering as fixed the effect of GC and, as covariables, IV, ID and DJ and, as random, the additive genetic direct and maternal and the residual effects. The heritability estimated for genetic direct effect and standard errors were .37 (.09), .35 (.09), .33 (.09) and .27 (.09), respectively, for C, M, P and T. These results suggest that the evaluation for visual scores, must to considerate the studied fixed effects, and that it is possible to include these characteristics in breeding programs.

Genetic parameters and genetic and phenotypic trends for pre-weaning productive and conformation traits for an Aberdeen Angus breed population

To estimate genetic parameters and to evaluate the genetic and phenotypic progress for the traits birth weight (PN), average daily gain from birth to weaning (GMDND), weaning weight adjusted to 205 days of age (P205) and the visual scores for conformation, precocity, musculature and size, at the pre weaning phase, there were used information from 23,176 Aberdeen Angus breed animals born between 1994 and 2004. The covariance components were obtained by REML, using an animal model. The direct and maternal heritabilities ranged from 0.10 (musculature) to 0.27 (PN) and the maternal from 0.07 (GMDND) to 0.21 (P205). The genetic correlations between GMDND and visual scores ranged from 0.55 to 0.66 and for the visual scores in between themselves from 0.50 to 0.92. The genetic trends for PN, GMDND, P205 were 17.5, 1.1, 220.9 (g/year) and for the visual scores were almost zero; the phenotypic were 29.8, -3.3, 467.9 (g/year). The estimated direct heritabilities suggest that it can be possible to get genetic gain by selection in this population, although for the visual scores the gain will be low. The genetic correlations between GMDND and visual scores show that selection for GMDND promotes improvement in visual scores and vice-versa. The genetic trends indicate genetic progress, however the phenotypic, negatives for some traits, suggest the necessity of to improve environmental conditions.To estimate genetic parameters and to evaluate the genetic and phenotypic progress for the traits birth weight (PN), average daily gain from birth to weaning (GMDND), weaning weight adjusted to 205 days of age (P205) and the visual scores for conformation, precocity, musculature and size, at the pre weaning phase, there were used information from 23,176 Aberdeen Angus breed animals born between 1994 and 2004. The covariance components were obtained by REML, using an animal model. The direct and maternal heritabilities ranged from 0.10 (musculature) to 0.27 (PN) and the maternal from 0.07 (GMDND) to 0.21 (P205). The genetic correlations between GMDND and visual scores ranged from 0.55 to 0.66 and for the visual scores in between themselves from 0.50 to 0.92. The genetic trends for PN, GMDND, P205 were 17.5, 1.1, 220.9 (g/year) and for the visual scores were almost zero; the phenotypic were 29.8, -3.3, 467.9 (g/year). The estimated direct heritabilities suggest that it can be possible to get genetic gain by selection in this population, although for the visual scores the gain will be low. The genetic correlations between GMDND and visual scores show that selection for GMDND promotes improvement in visual scores and vice-versa. The genetic trends indicate genetic progress, however the phenotypic, negatives for some traits, suggest the necessity of to improve environmental conditions.

Efeitos genéticos aditivos diretos e maternos e heterozigóticos sobre os desempenhos pré e pós-desmama em uma população multirracial Aberdeen Angus × Nelore

The objective of this study was to estimate direct and maternal additive genetic, non-additive and heterozygotic effects for pre and post-weaning traits and to develop equations to predict growth performance in a multi-breed Aberdeen Angus (Angus)-Nellore herd. The analyses were performed by SAS® using two different models. The model 1 (M1) was used for the pre-weaning traits, weaning weight adjusted to 205 days of age (P205) and average daily gain from birth to weaning (GMDND), and included the fixed effects of contemporary groups (GC), genetic groups (GG) and the covariates age of calf at weaning (IBD) and age of cow at calving (IVP). The same model except for replacing the covariate IBD by age of calf at yearling (IBS) was used for the post-weaning traits - yearling weight adjusted to 550 days of age (P550) and average daily gain from weaning to yearling (GMDDS). A multiple regression model (M2) was used after adjusting the data for GC, IVP and IBD (P205) and IBS (P550) effects and included the breed direct and maternal additive and the direct and maternal heterozygotic effects. Animals with higher maternal heterozygosis performed better for P205 and GMDND. A similar trend was observed for the direct heterozygosis. The direct genetic effect was larger than the maternal genetic effect for P550 and GMDDS. The additive direct effect determined better performances in the Angus breed. Differences between the estimated (M1) and predicted (M2) averages for P205, P550 and GMDDS were not significant.

Parâmetros genéticos e tendências genética e fenotípica para características de crescimento em uma população da raça Brangus

This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters and genetic and phenotypic trends for weight at weaning (PD), yearling weight (PS), average daily gain from birth to weaning (GMDND), average daily gain from weaning to yearling (GMDDS), days to reach 160 kg at the pre weaning phase (D160) and days to reach 240 kg at post weaning phase (D240) of Brangus cattle raised in 37 farms in South, Southern and Mid Western Regions of Brazil, from 1987 to 2001. Records on 9,573 Brangus animals, sired by 415 bulls and 7,297 dams, were used to estimate (co)variance components by REML.The model included the genetic group of bull and dam and of contemporary group, age of cow at deliver, age at weaning weight and age at yearling weight covariate (linear and quadratic componentes) as fixed effects and the direct additive genetic, maternal and residual as random effects. The averages observed for PD, PS, GMDND, GMDDS, D160 and D240 were 171.62 kg, 306.2 kg, 0.701 kg, 0.395 kg, 234.97 days and 720.52 days, respectively. The direct heritabilities ranged from 0.15 (D240) to 0.45 (GMDND) and the maternal from 0.20 (PD) to 0.28 (GMDND). The genetic and phenotypic trends were 7.59 g/year and 0.864 kg/year; 5.16 g/year and 2.274 kg/year; 0.036 g/year and 0.007 kg/year; 0.011 g/year and 0.012 kg/year; -0.11 days/year and -1.59 days/year; -0.78 days/year and -9.79 days/year, respectively, for PD, PS, GMDND, GMDDS, D160 and D240.

Metanálise para características de carcaça de bovinos de diferentes grupos genéticos

The meta-analysis methodology was applied in this study to evaluate factors that affect the carcass quality components in beef cattle (rib eye area - AOL and fat thickness - EGC, measured between the 12th and the13th ribs) and to compare them in different genetic groups. Data from 215 measures of AOL and 209 measures of EGC, from 65,174 animals, extracted from 36 papers published between 1985 and 2006 were used. The Restricted Maximum Likelihood Method and an animal model that considered AOL and EGC as functions of the fixed effects of country from where the data come from; animal category; feed system; measure methodology; Bos indicus, british and continental Bos taurus gene contribution; age and weight at measure, were used. The observed averages for AOL and e EGC were 63.5cm2 and 4.2mm, respectively. The animals were in average 552.22 days old at the measure of the characteristics and had 468.47kg of live weight. The use of meta-analysis permitted to get generalized conclusions about AOL and EGC: animals rose in the EUA presented values significantly superior for AOL and EGC when compared with those rose in Australia and Brazil; castrated and the entire males presented bigger AOL measures (do not differing among them) compared to females, and females presented bigger EGC. The feed system, confined and do not confined, were superior to the greasing system. The Continental Bos taurus genotypes presented bigger AOL values, British Bos taurus presented bigger EGC values, and Bos indicus presented intermediate values. The measures taken in the carcass (pos mortis) and by ultra son (in vivo) were not different. The increase in the characteristics decreased with the age and live weight increase.

Efeito da inclusão da covariância genética aditiva direta-materna no modelo de análise sobre a magnitude das estimativas de parâmetros e valores genéticos preditos para ganho de peso na raça Brangus

The objective of this research was to study the effect of accouting for the covariance between the additive genetic direct and the maternal effects (covd-m) on the estimates of genetic parameters and on predictions of genetic values (VG), for average daily gain from birth to weaning (GMDND) and from weaning to 550 days of age (GMDDS). They were analyzed 28,949 records for GMDND and 11,884 for GMDDS of a Brangus breed population (5\8 Angus x 3/8 Nellore), collected from 1986 to 2002. The (co)variance components were obtained by REML. In the animal model for GMDND, the additive genetic direct and maternal and residual effects were considered as random, and the effects of contemporaneous group at weaning (Gc205), the interaction of the Nellore-Angus breed genetic percentage of the bull and cow (FGNA) and the covariables, age of the cow at birth (IV) and age at weaning (ID) as fixed effects. For GMDDS, the model was the same, except that Gc205 was substituted by contemporaneous group at 550 days of age (CG550) and ID by age at 550 days. In both models, permanent environmental effect of the cow was considered as a random effect. The heritabilities estimated for direct genetic effects ranged from 0.14 ± 0.03 to 0.21 ± 0.03 and for maternal effects from 0.00 ± 0.01 to 0.15 ± 0.02, the estimates had smaller values when covd-m was included in the model for GMDND. The correlations between genetic direct and maternal effects were negative -0.25 ± 0.12 (GMDND) and -0.77 ± 0.19 (GMDDS). The likelihood ratio test showed that there is no significant diference, at 5% significance level, between the adopted models for boths characteristics. The rank correlation between the VG predicted by the two models, were 0.89 for GMDND and 0.98 for GMDND, suggesting that a slight change in the rank of the animals can happen, for GMDND.

Pre-weaning performance evaluation of a multibreed Aberdeen Angus × Nellore population using different genetic models

This work aimed at estimating the genetic effects that affect the pre-weaning performance of animals from multibreed crosses. In order to do so, it was used information of the weight at weaning of 79,521 animals, sired by 1,020 bulls and 61,898 cows from Aberdeen Angus and Nellore breeds and from many genetic groups resulted from their crosses. Five genetic models were tested: model 1, containing the fixed breed genetic effects (additive direct and maternal effects, heterozygote direct and maternal effects, epystatic direct and maternal effects, joint additive direct and maternal effects); model 2, equal to model 1, excluding direct and maternal joint additive effects; model 3, equal to model 1, excluding direct and maternal epystatic effects; model 4, equal to model 1, excluding direct and maternal epystactic effect and direct and maternal joint additive effects; and model 5, equal to model 1, excluding direct and maternal heterozygotic effects, direct and maternal epystatic effects and direct and maternal joint additive effects. The models were analyzed by the following methods: least square means method, ridge regression method, and the restricted maximum likelihood method. The dominant additive models usually used for genetic evaluations do not give a good description of the pre-weaning performance variations, making it necessary to add the heterozygote and epystatic effects; the joint additive effects do not significantly improve the adjustment of the analysis model and the heterozygote effects are efficient in representing a quadratic breed additive effect, in addition to insert an unnecessary bias assigned to multicollinearity related to the joint additive effects.

Parâmetros genéticos e tendências genéticas e fenotípicas para escores visuais na fase pós-desmama de bovinos da raça Aberdeen Angus

There were evaluated at post weaning phase, 28.349 Aberdeen Angus breed animals, born from 1993 to 2003 on 141 farms, to estimate genetic parameters and to evaluate genetic and phenotypic trends for visual scores (EVs) conformation (C), precocity (P), musculature (M) and size (T). The covariance components were obtained by REML using an animal model. The heritabilities estimated were: 0.13, 0.11, 0.16 and 0.13, to C, P, M and T, respectively. The genetic correlations between the EVs range from 0.01 to 0.92. The genetic and phenotypic trends estimated for C, P, M, and T (points/year) were 0.0054 and 0.0189; 0.0035 and -0.0013; 0.0057 and 0.0217; and 0.0026 and -0.0016, respectively. The heritabilities estimated showed low responses by direct selection. The genetic correlations between the EVs were high between C, P and M (0.79 to 0.92) and low between these and T (0.01 to 0.30). The genetic trends showed that, selection is promoting low genetic progress; however the phenotypic trends that are negative for some characteristics, indicate that more attention for environmental conditions must be given.

Herdabilidades para ganho de peso da desmama ao sobreano e perímetro escrotal ao sobreano e tendências genética e fenotípica para ganho de peso da desmama ao sobreano em bovinos Nelore-Angus

Data consisting of 47.668 records of a Nellore-Angus crossbred population, raised in several regions of Brazil, from 1991 to 2001, were used to estimate heritability for post-weaning daily gain (ADG) and for scrotal circumference at yearling age (SCY) using REML. Genetic and phenotypic trends for ADG were also estimated. The model used to estimate heritability and breeding values (BVs) for ADG included the fixed effects of breed composition (defined by the percentage of contribution of the Nellore breed of the animal and his parents) and the contemporary group after weaning (herd, year/season of birth, sex and management group) and the random additive genetic animal and residual effects. The same model, including the fixed effects of weight and age of the animal at yearling, as covariates, was used for SCY. The average ages at weaning and yearling were respectively 215 and 528 days. The heritability estimates for ADG and SCY were 0.44 ± 0.02 and 0.22 ± 0.08, respectively. The annual genetic trend for ADG decreased up to the year of 1996 and increased then on. The phenotypic trend was 9.4 g/day/year.