Genetic parameters for growth traits of Australian beef cattle from a multibreed selection experiment

Estimates of covariance components and genetic parameters were obtained for birth, weaning, 200-d, and 400-d weight for a herd of Polled Herefords and a herd of a multibreed synthetics, the so-called Wokalups. Data originated from an experiment in Western Australia selecting for preweaning growth rate. Analyses were carried out by REML fitting an animal model including genetic and permanent environmental maternal effects. Wokalups showed consistently more phenotypic variation, partly due to a scale effect, and higher direct and lower maternal heritabilities than Herefords. Maternal environmental effects were more than twice as important in Herefords than in Wokalups. Estimates of both genetic and environmental correlations among weaning and subsequent weights were essentially unity, identifying maternal effects found for postweaning weights as a "carry over" of those on weaning weight.