Abstract
The capacity of beef cattle to transform feed into meat is fundamental to this production system, but it has not been accounted for in the genetic selection of Nellore animals, a main tropical breed. The objective of the present study was to verify differences in the genetic effects between Nellore lineages, allied to the inclusion of genomic data in these estimates. Phenotypic data of 2058 Nellore cattle were used for the following traits: average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and residual feed intake (RFI). The pedigree contained 9,079 animals, of which 2226 were genotyped. Eleven main founders were selected of the Nellore breed (Founder), as well as 19 new founders (Breeder), with cattle that are highly representative animals of this breed. The genetic and genomic effects of each founder and its accuracy were estimated by the average information restricted maximum likelihood method using the program BLUPF90. There was genetic variability in Nellore lineages in terms of performance, feed intake and efficiency, and the accuracy of these estimates increased with the inclusion of genomics. Thus, it is possible to choose progenitors of the best lineages, with better genetic potential and good accuracy, to improve these traits in beef production.
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