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Published on: May 16, 2019
Correlated Response on Growth Traits and Their Variabilities to Selection for Ovulation Rate in Rabbits Using Genetic
Rosa Peiró1, Celia Quirino2, Agustín Blasco3
1Centro de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), P.O. Box 22012, 46071 Valencia, Spain.
Abstract:
The aim of this work was to estimate correlated responses in growth traits and their variabilities in an experiment of selection for ovulation rate during 10 generations in rabbits. Individual weight at 28 days old (IW28, kg) and at 63 days old (IW63, kg) was analyzed, as well as individual growth rate (IGR = IW63 - IW28, kg). The variability of each growth trait was calculated as the absolute value of the difference between the individual value and the mean value of their litter. Data were analyzed using Bayesian methodology. The estimated heritabilities of IW28, IW63 and IGR were low, whereas negligible heritabilities were obtained for growth variability traits. The common litter effect was high for all growth traits, around 30% of the phenotypic variance, whereas low maternal effect for all growth traits was obtained. Low genetic correlations between ovulation rate and growth traits were found, and also between ovulation rate and the variability of growth traits. Therefore, genetic trends methods did not show correlated responses in growth traits. A similar result was also obtained using a cryopreserved control population.
