Genetic analysis of growth parameters and survival potential of Jamunapari goats in semiarid tropics

Goats are adaptable to varied farming environments and contribute significantly towards sustainable livestock production and food security. Selective breeding of goats for improved performance is an important component of sustainable production. The objectives of the present study were to determine the most appropriate models of analysis for growth traits, to estimate genetic parameters, survival potential of kids from birth to 12 months of age and to estimate genetic trends for growth traits of Jamunapari kids at different ages. Genetic parameter estimates were obtained from 6590 records generated between 1982 and 2012 from 5922 animals with a pedigree covering over 13 generations. The most parsimonious model for early growth traits included permanent environmental effects due to the dam (PE) and litter effects. Similarly, the most appropriate model for early average daily gain (ADG) between birth and 3 or 6 months also included PE and litter effects. The estimates of heritability for survival from birth to 12 months of age ranged from 0.10 to 0.43. The estimates of heritability for ADG varied from 0.04 to 0.41. In general, higher estimates of heritability were observed when a sire model was fitted in the random effect. There was no genetic variation observed for survival between birth and 3 months of age. However, heritability estimates of between 0.18 and 0.39 were observed for survivability during post-weaning period to 12 months of age. The genetic trend at 9 months of age and 12 months of age was 0.144 kg 0.189 kg per year respectively. The genetic trend at all the ages was positive during the study period.