The use of physiological traits in genetic selection for litter size in sheep

The objective was to quantify and compare the genetic responses by direct selection on litter size, by indirect selection through a physiological trait and by combined selection, combining litter size and the physiological trait in a selection index. Three kinds of physiological trait were considered, male sex-limited (e.g. testes size), female sex-limited (ovulation rate) and traits measurable in both sexes (gonadotrophin levels). The results are presented graphically and cover a wide range of possible situations and show the size of the responses for different parameters of the physiological trait. There is usually scope for improvement in the rate of response with combined selection, and also in special cases (high heritability and genetic correlation) with indirect selection. The increases in predicted response may range from zero to two or three times the direct response, depending on the genetic parameters. However, the need for reliable estimates of the genetic parameters is stressed, because the predicted responses might otherwise be overestimated and the selection effort misplaced.