Restricted maximum likelihood estimation of variance components from field data for number of pigs born alive

Variance components for number of pigs born alive (NBA) were estimated from sow productivity field records collected by purebred breed associations. Data sets analyzed were as follows: Hampshire (n = 13,537), Landrace (n = 10,822), and Spotted (n = 3,949). Variance components for service sire, sire of sow, dam of sow, and residual effects on NBA (adjusted for parity) were estimated. The single-trait model included relationships between service sires, sires of sows, and dams of sows. The model was implemented using an expectation maximization (EM) REML algorithm. A sparse-matrix solver was also used. Heritability estimates for NBA were .13, .13, and .12 for Hampshire, Spotted, and Landrace, respectively. Estimates of maternal genetic (co)variances (m2) expressed as a proportion of the phenotypic variance were .05, .01, and .03 for Hampshire, Spotted, and Landrace, respectively. Results indicated that service sires account for 1 to 2% of the total variation for NBA. Genetic effects influencing NBA seem to be small in these data sets, but selection for increased NBA should be effective.