Genetic analysis of semen from different origins and their impact on production traits: A single and multiple trait approach

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the genetics of imported semen and assess the genetic trend of production traits in Holstein cows during their first lactation in Iran. The data was collected from 28 different herds in Isfahan province between 2011 and 2020. Variance-covariance components were estimated by the restricted maximum likelihood method and the single and multi-trait animal model. The correlation between breeding values for bulls reported in catalogs and estimated in this was calculated. The mean of the least squares by countries shows that the daughters of Spanish bulls have the highest average for milk production, and the daughters of German, French, Spanish, and American bulls have the highest average percentage of fat and protein and the amount of fat and protein, respectively. Estimated heritability for milk production, fat, and protein percentage, and the amount of fat and protein were 0.34?0.011, 0.48?0.021, 0.41?0.016, 0.40?0.090, and 0.39?0.010 respectively. The mean genetic trend of milk production, fat percentage, protein percentage, fat content, and protein content were 92, 0.010, 0.004, 1.73, and 2.52, respectively. The correlation between the estimated and reported breeding value of bulls for milk production trait, percentage of fat and protein, and the amount of fat and protein was estimated at 0.48, 0.67, 0.69, 0.14, and 0.26, and all of the estimated correlations are statistically significant at the level of 0.05. Based on the results for the most critical production trait in Isfahan herds, milk production, American bulls have the best performance and genetic trend.