Divergent Selection for Growth in Japanese Quail Under Split and Complete Nutritional Environments: 3. Influences of Selection for Growth on Heterotic Effects for Body Weight, Feed and Water Intake Patterns, Abdominal Fat, and Carcass Lipid Characteristics

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate heterotic effects for body weight, water and feed intake, abdominal fat and carcass lipid levels, and feed efficiency in progeny produced from reciprocal crosses of high (H) and low (L) body weight lines of Japanese quail selected under split diet (SD) and complete diet (CD) environments. Birds under the SD environment could self select feed from high protein and high energy diets. Crossline progeny from the selected lines were evaluated within the respective SD and CD environments in Generation 13.Small egg size of the L dam resulted in a negative maternal effect on the body weight of the HL crossline progeny and the large egg size of the H dam produced a positive maternal influence on the weight of LH crossline progeny. Heterotic effects for water and feed consumption corresponded with the trends for heterosis in body weight. Heterotic effects for abdominal fat and carcass lipid levels were highly negative, and corresponded with trends for heterosis in feed efficiency.