WPSII-6 Production statistics for performance traits in fifteen different genotypes

Autor: Michael D. MacNeil, G Pyoos, F.W.C. Neser, A. Theunissen, Michiel M. Scholtz
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Animal Science. 96:517-517
ISSN: 1525-3163
0021-8812
DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky404.1131
Popis: A total of 84% of South Africa’s land is available for agriculture, of which 13% is cultivated and 71% is only suitable for extensive livestock farming. Beef cattle farming is dominating these areas. The type of production strategy to be followed, e.g. purebreeding with adapted genotypes or crossbreeding, will depend primarily on the environment and level of management. A crossbreeding project with specialized sire lines (Angus and Simmentaler) and dam breed bulls, mated to Afrikaner, Bonsmara and Nguni females (mated in all possible combinations) is being conducted in Northern Cape, producing 15 genotypes. The climate is semi-arid, characterized by hot summers (average maximum temperature 32°C) and cold winters (average lowest temperature –0.5°C), with an annual rainfall is 440 millimeters. The 5 bull breeds are mated to 8 females from each of the breeds. The mating season is from 15 December until 28 February. Predicted means of Afrikaner, Bonsmara, and Nguni calves for preweaning traits, and for dam weight at weaning of their calves, corrected to 7 years of age for the first three seasons are reported. At birth, Nguni calves weighed less (32.9kg ± 0.6), than either Afrikaner (36.0 ± 0.9) or Bonsmara (37.3 ± 0.7) calves. The respective 205-day corrected weaning weights for the different breeds were (192.0kg ± 9.0) for the Afrikaner; (218. ± 13.0) for the Bonsmara and (185. ± 6.0) for Nguni. The cow weight of the Nguni (365.0kg ± 7.0) was significantly different from that of the Afrikaner (446.0kg ± 10.0) and Bonsmara (454.0kg ± 10.0). Performances of the calves sired by the various breeds of sire varied from 187. ± 7.0 in Afrikaner x Nguni to 224. ± 13.0 in Angus x Bonsmara. A study to estimate all the crossbreeding effects on cow efficiency and component traits is currently underway.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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