Estimadores de correlaciones genéticas para características de la canal de bovinos: efecto de diferentes criterios de sacrificio. Revisión

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to analyze 532 estimates of genetic correlations for carcass traits of cattle published in the scientific literature from 1963 to 2003. The unweighted means, the ranges and the number of observations of the estimates of genetic correlations were calculated based on three different slaughter end points: age, weight and fat thickness. Estimates of genetic correlations for most pairs of traits varied greatly within each slaughter end point. For example, the range of ageconstant estimates of the genetic correlation between fat thickness and marbling score was from -0.42 to 1.00. Few studies have compared estimates of genetic correlations for carcass traits adjusted for different slaughter end points. Results from those few studies were inconsistent, although some studies revealed that estimates of genetic correlations for several combinations of carcass traits were sensitive to the covariate (slaughter end point) included in the model. Means of age-constant estimates of the genetic correlation between longissimus muscle area and marbling score, yield grade and predicted percentage of retail product were: 0.06, -0.79, and 0.59. These means suggest that selection for greater longissimus muscle area would improve yield grade and increase predicted percentage of retail product without altering marbling.