51-chromium labeled erythrocyte half-time disappearance from miniature swine

Half-time disappearance of (51)Cr-laeled erythrocytes was studied in 39 Sinclair miniature swine at 20 to 46 days of age and again at 79 to 109 days of age. Mean erythrocyte half-time disappearance, disregarding age, was 21.29 (+/-0.77) days for males and 22.04 (+/-0.81) days for females. The half-time difference between males and females was not statistically significant (P<0.05). At 20 to 46 days of age the mean erythrocyte half-time disappearance was 19.56 (+/-1.41) days. The same pigs, tested at 79 to 109 days of age, had a mean erythrocyte half-time disappearance of 23.95 (+/-1.94) days. There was a significant difference (P<0.01) in erythrocyte half-time disappearance from miniature swine as the result of age and also for age within sex. The grand mean erythrocyte half-time disappearance, for all the miniature swine tested, was 21.67 (+/-0.54) days. The estimate of heritability was 0.61 for dam effect at 20 to 46 days of age and 0.06 at 79 to 109 days of age. Sire estimate of heritability was 0 at both age groups. It was concluded that the large heritability coefficient found only for dam component in young nursing pigs was the result of maternal environment rather than additive genetic variance.