Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T08:44:42.320Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Body condition score of Nellore beef cows: a heritable measure to improve the selection of reproductive and maternal traits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2015

A. F. A. Fernandes ,
H. H. R. Neves ,
R. Carvalheiro ,
J. A. Oliveira  and
S. A. Queiroz
A. F. A. Fernandes*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, FCAV/UNESP, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
H. H. R. Neves
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, FCAV/UNESP, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
R. Carvalheiro
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, FCAV/UNESP, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
J. A. Oliveira
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciências Exatas, FCAV/UNESP, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
S. A. Queiroz
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, FCAV/UNESP, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Despite the economic importance of beef cattle production in Brazil, female reproductive performance, which is strongly associated with production efficiency, is not included in the selection index of most breeding programmes due to low heritability and difficulty in measure. The body condition score (BCS) could be used as an indicator of these traits. However, so far little is known about the feasibility of using BCS as a selection tool for reproductive performance in beef cattle. In this study, we investigated the sources of variation in the BCS of Nellore beef cows, quantified its association with reproductive and maternal traits and estimated its heritability. BCS was analysed using a logistic model that included the following effects: contemporary group at weaning, cow weight and hip height, calving order, reconception together with the weight and scores of conformation and early finishing assigned to calves at weaning. In the genetic analysis, variance components of BCS were estimated through Bayesian inference by fitting an animal model that also included the aforementioned effects. The results showed that BCS was significantly associated with all of the reproductive and maternal variables analysed. The estimated posterior mean of heritability of BCS was 0.24 (highest posterior density interval at 95%: 0.093 to 0.385), indicating an involvement of additive gene action in its determination. The present findings show that BCS can be used as a selection criterion for Nellore females.

Keywords

heritabilityordinal logistic regressionscore traitselection criterionNellore cattle
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 9 , Supplement 8 , August 2015 , pp. 1278 - 1284
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arango, JA, Cundiff, LV and Van Vleck, LD 2002. Comparisons of Angus, Braunvieh, Chianina, Hereford, Gelbvieh, Maine Anjou, and Red Poll sired cows for weight, weight adjusted for body condition score, height, and body condition score. Journal of Animal Science 80, 3133–3141.Google Scholar
Ayres, H, Ferreira, RM, Torres-Júnior, JRS, Demétrio, CGB, Lima, CG and Baruselli, PS 2009. Validation of body condition score as a predictor of subcutaneous fat in Nellore (Bos indicus) cows. Livestock Science 123, 175–179.Google Scholar
Barrozo, D, Buzanskas, ME, Oliveira, JA, Munari, DP, Neves, HHR and Queiroz, SA 2011. Genetic parameters and environmental effects on temperament score and reproductive traits of Nellore cattle. Animal 6, 36–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blank, F and Agabriel, J 2008. Modelling the reproductive efficiency in a beef cow herd: effect of calving date, bull exposure and body condition at calving on the calving-conception interval and calving distribution. Journal of Agricultural Science 146 (special issue), 143–161.Google Scholar
Burnham, KP and Anderson, DR 2004. Multimodel inference, understanding AIC and BIC in model selection. Sociological Methods & Research 33, 261–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buzanskas, ME, Savegnago, RP, Grossi, DA, Venturini, GC, Queiroz, SA, Silva, LOC, Torres Júnior, RAA, Munari, DP and Alencar, MM 2012. Genetic parameter estimates and principal component analysis of breeding values of reproduction and growth traits in female Canchim cattle. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 25, 775–781.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freneau, GE, Da Silva, JCC, Borjas, ALR and Amorim, C 2008. Estudo de medidas corporais, peso vivo e condição corporal de fêmeas da raça Nelore Bos taurus indicus ao longo de doze meses. Ciência Animal Brasileira 9, 76–85.Google Scholar
Gelman, A and Rubin, DB 1992. Inference from interactive simulation using multiple sequences. Statistical Science 7, 457–472.Google Scholar
Gianola, D 1979. Heritability of polychotomous characters. Genetics 93, 1051–1055.Google Scholar
Johnston, DJ, Chandler, H and Graser, HU 1996. Genetic parameters for cow weight and condition score in Angus, Hereford and Poll Hereford cattle. Austrian Journal Agriculture Research 47, 1251–1260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lake, SL, Scholljegerdes, EJ, Atkinson, RL, Nayigihugu, V, Paisley, SI, Rule, DC, Moss, GE, Robinson, TJ and Hess, BW 2005. Body condition score at parturition and postpartum supplemental fat effects on cow and calf performance. Journal of Animal Science 83, 2908–2917.Google Scholar
Lalman, DL, Williams, JE, Hess, BW, Thomas, MG and Keisler, DH 2000. Effect of dietary energy intake on milk production and metabolic hormones in thin, primiparous beef heifers. Journal of Animal Science 78, 530–538.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loker, S, Bastin, C, Miglior, F, Sewalem, A, Schaeffer, LR, Jamrozik, J, Ali, A and Osbornell, V 2012. Genetic and environmental relationships between body condition score and milk production traits in Canadian Holsteins. Journal of Dairy Science 95, 410–419.Google Scholar
Looper, ML, Reiter, ST, Williamson, BC, Sales, MA, Hallford, DM and Rosenkrans, CF Jr 2010. Effects of body condition on measures of intramuscular and rump fat, endocrine factors, and calving rate of beef cows grazing common bermudagrass or endophyte-infected tall fescue. Journal of Animal Science 88, 4133–4141.Google Scholar
Lopes, FB, Magnabosco, CU, Paulini, F, Silva, MC, Miyagi, ES and Lôbo, RB 2013. Genetic analysis of growth traits in polled Nellore cattle raised on pastures in tropical region using Bayesian approaches. PLoS One 8, e75423.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Machado, R, Corrêa, RF, Barbosa, RT and Bergamaschi, MACM 2008. Escore da condição corporal e sua aplicação no manejo reprodutivo de ruminantes. EMBRAPA, São Carlos, Brasil Circular Técnica 57, 16pp.Google Scholar
Montiel, F and Ahuja, C 2004. Body condition and suckling as factors influencing the duration of postpartum anestrus in cattle: a review. Animal Reproduction Science 85, 1–26.Google Scholar
Misztal, I, Tsuruta, S, Strabel, T, Auvray, B, Druet, T and Lee, DH 2002. BLUPF90 and related programs (BGF90). Proc. 7th World Congress Gen. Appl. Livest. Prod., Montpellier, France. Communication Nº 28–07.Google Scholar
Mulliniks, JT, Cox, SH, Kemp, ME, Endecott, RL, Waterman, RC, VanLeeuwen, DM and Petersen, MK 2012. Relationship between body condition score at calving and reproductive performance in young postpartum cows grazing native range. Journal of Animal Science 90, 2811–2817.Google Scholar
Pryce, JE, Coffey, MP and Simm, G 2001. The relationship between body condition score and reproductive performance. Journal of Dairy Science 84, 1508–1515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Queiroz, SA, Oliveira, JA, Costa, GZ and Fries, LA 2011. Estimates of genetic parameters for visual scores and daily weight gain in Brangus animals. Animal 5, 838–843.Google Scholar
R Development Core Team 2012. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. ISBN 3-900051-07-0. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from http://www.R-project.org Google Scholar
Roche, JR, Macdonald, KA, Burke, CR, Lee, JM and Berry, DP 2007. Associations among body condition score, body weight and reproductive performance in seasonal-calving dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 376–391.Google Scholar
Sturges, HA 1926. The choice of a class interval. Journal of the American Statistical Association 21, 65–66.Google Scholar
Taiwo, BBA, Olaniran, ODD and Aluko, FA 2010. Breed and environmental factors affecting body measures of beef cattle in Yewa, Nigeria. Agricultural Science 5, 211–214.Google Scholar
Vieira, A, Lobato, JFP, Torres Junior, RAA, Cezar, IM and Correa, ES 2005. Fatores determinantes do desempenho reprodutivo de vacas nelore na região dos cerrados do Brasil central. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia 34, 2408–2416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, Y 2005. Can the strengths of AIC and BIC be shared? A conflict between model identification and regression estimation. Biometrika 92, 937–950.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Fernandes supplementary material

Figures S1-S2

Download Fernandes supplementary material(File)
File 3.6 MB