The effects of genetic and phenotypic production potential on response to recombinant bovine somatotropin

Evidence was sought for an interaction between both phenotypic and genetic production potential and response of milk production to administration of bST in three trials of 38, 43, and 35 cows. In each trial, bST was administered in doses of 0, 10.3, 20.6, and, in trial 1 only, 41.2 mg/d for 38 wk from wk 4 of lactation. Data were analyzed for each experiment separately and combined across experiments. Analyses included separate regressions for treated and untreated animals for milk production during the production period on pretreatment production and estimated breeding value for milk production. Breeding value was estimated as the sire's estimated transmitting ability plus one-half of the maternal grandsire's estimated transmitting ability. With the exception of regression on estimated breeding value in trial 1 and in combined data, differences between treated and untreated animals in the regression of milk production on pretreatment milk production or on estimates of breeding value were not statistically significant. However, regressions on pretreatment production were substantially lower for treated than for untreated animals in each of the three trials. Regressions on breeding value estimated from sire and maternal grandsire estimated transmitting abilities were substantially, but not significantly, lower for untreated than for treated animals in all three trials. The results suggest that cows with high production potential for nongenetic reasons may show diminished response to bST, whereas cows with genetically high production potential show enhanced response. However, borderline statistical significance argues for considerable further examination before drawing firm conclusions.