Genetic Analysis of Persistency for Milk Fat Yield in Iranian Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

This study aimed to estimate heritabilities and genetic trends for different persistency measures for milk fat yield and their genetic correlations with 270-day milk yield in Iranian buffaloes. The records of test-day milk fat yield belonging to the first three lactations of buffaloes within 523 herds consisting of 43,818 records were got from the Animal Breeding Center and Promotion of Animal Products of Iran from 1996 to 2012. To fit the lactation curves based on a random regression test-day model, different orders of Legendre polynomial (LP) functions were selected. Three persistency measures were altered according to the specific condition of the lactation curve in buffaloes: (1) The average of estimated breeding values (EBVs) for test day fat yield from day 226 to day 270 as a deviation from the average of EBVs from day 44 to day 62 (PM₁), (2) A summation of contribution for each day from day 53 to day 247 as a deviation from day 248 (PM₂), and (3) The difference between EBVs for day 257 and day 80 (PM₃). The estimates of heritability for PM₁, PM₂, and PM₃ ranged from 0.20 to 0.48, from 0.36 to 0.47, and from 0.19 to 0.35 over the first three lactations, respectively. The estimate of genetic trends for different persistency measures of milk fat yield was not significant over the lactations (P > 0.05). Genetic correlation estimates between various measures of persistency were generally high over the first three lactations. Also, genetic correlations estimates between persistency measures and 270-day milk yield were mostly low and varied from 0.00 to 0.24 (between PM₁ and 270-day milk yield), from -0.19 to 0.13 (between PM₂ and 270-day milk yield), and from -0.02 to 0.00 (between PM₁ and 270-day milk yield) over the first three lactations, respectively. Persistency measures that showed low genetic correlations with milk fat yield were considered the most suitable measures in selection schemes. Besides, medium to high heritability estimates for different persistency measures for milk fat yield indicated that relevant genetic variations detected for these characters could be regarded in outlining later genetic improvement programs of Iranian buffaloes.