Abstract
Abstract. Genetic parameters of several growth and carcass traits were estimated for the Hungarian Large White (HLW) and Hungarian Landrace (HL) pig breeds. The objective of the analysis was to compare the direct (days on station test, consumed feed, valuable cuts and age) and ratio/composite (net daily gain, feed conversion, proportion of valuable cuts, lean meat percentage and average daily gain and meat quality score) traits, which were collected in the course of station and field tests. The analysis was based on the national database (1997–2003) using univariate and bivariate animal models. Estimated heritabilities for station test traits ranged between 0.34–0.69 (except for meat quality score, where the heritability was low (0.10, 0.15 for HLW and HL, respectively) and exceeded that of the field test traits (0.18–0.23). Relative importance of random litter effects was low for the station test traits (0.01–0.29) but moderate for the field test traits (0.20–0.48). The unfavourable genetic correlation between lean meat percentage and meat quality score (−0.28, −0.44 for HLW and LW, respectively) is worth mentioning. In both performance tests the direct and ratio test counterparts showed similar heritabilities and their genetic correlation were close to unity (0.74–0.95). Based on these results selection on either the direct or on the ratio traits would possibly result similar selection response.
Highlights
Meat production, pork production continuously aims to satisfy the consumers’ demands
Age (AGE) and body weight of the animals were recorded at the same time from which their average daily gain (ADG) was calculated
Station test heritabilities exceeded that of the field test traits except meat quality score where low heritability estimates were found
Summary
Pork production continuously aims to satisfy the consumers’ demands. These demands are likely to change over long periods, during the last two decades the consumers primarily showed preference for lean meat. In Hungary selection in pig breeding is based on data from field and station tests respectively (CSATÓ et al, 2002). The objective of the present study was to estimate the genetic parameters of all the measured and calculated traits using the data of Hungarian pig populations measured in the course of various (field and station) tests. From the estimated heritabilities and genetic correlations it can be determined if the direct or the indirect traits show more advantageous features on which selection should be based
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