The growth curve determination and economic trait correlation for Qinchuan bull population

Carcass weight, as a measure of meat yield, and body measurements are directly correlated traits in livestock. However, longitudinally collected phenotype records of local breeds are not comprehensive. The research was performed on Qinchuan bull population to understand their growth and development, and data from Qinchuan bull that was weighed and measured at birth, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age was analyzed. Furthermore, Logistic, Brody, Gompertz, and Bertallanffy were used to fit the growth curves for weight and body size traits. The results showed that the four curve models have good fitting degrees for the weight and body size (R² > 0.99), and the Bertallanffy model exhibited a good fit to the measured data of body weight, and the model estimated the inflection point of body weight as (5.43 months of age, 122.01 kg). Particularly, the limited mature body weight can reach 557.8 kg by the Brody model. Body weight was significantly positively correlated with body height, hip height, body length, chest circumference, abdominal girth, and calf girth (p < 0.0001), and the correlation between body weight and body length was the highest (r = 0.975). The regression equation predicting body weight was Y = -275.691 + 3.28 X₃ + 1.311 X₄ - 0.397 X₅.