Livestock Science最新文献

{"title":"Modelling approaches for the estimation of genetic parameters for calving ease and stillbirth in German Holstein dairy cattle","authors":"Sina Sakhaeifar,&nbsp;Sven König","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105855","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105855","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of the present study was to apply alternative modelling approaches for genetic evaluations of stillbirth (SB) and calving ease (CE) from the dam perspective, enabling consideration of a longitudinal data and genetic covariance structure across lactations. We considered a comprehensive dataset including 435,489 calf records for CE and 477,800 calf records for SB from the birth years 2001 to 2017, and genotype data including 41,304 SNPs from 24,133 animals. The calves with phenotypes were offspring from 184,012 Holstein Friesian (HF) cows for SB, and from 177,162 HF cows for CE. The calves and cows were kept in 45 large-scale German dairy contract herds. The applied three genetic-statistical models based on single-step methodology considering both pedigree and genomic relationship matrices. In the “classical” model 1, we allocated SB and CE observations to the calf by considering direct and maternal genetic effects with their respective covariances. Model 2 was a multiple-trait model (MTM) by allocating the observations to the dam and considering same traits in different parities as different traits. Accordingly, in the random regression model (RRM), SB and CE were defined as a trait of a dam and analyzed on a continuous parity scale by considering random regression coefficients for additive-genetic effects of intercept and slope. From both models MTM and RRM, we observed a gradual decrease of additive genetic variances and maternal heritabilities with increasing parity. Genetic correlations between same traits from different parities were larger than 0.80 for adjacent parities, but declined with increasing parity distance. Correlations between maternal genomic breeding values (GEBV) from the two different models MTM and RRM for the same trait and parity were throughout larger than 0.80, and in the range from 0.68 to 0.88 with the maternal GEBV from model 1. Genetic and breeding value correlations close to zero were found between the direct and maternal genetic effects. Correlations between maternal GEBV from the RRM and maternal GEBV from official genetic evaluations were throughout larger than 0.82, and the large rank correlations indicate only minor changes in top lists for sires.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"303 ","pages":"Article 105855"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145622417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of stocking density and enrichment on hair cortisol, hair dehydroepiandrosterone (sulphate) and their ratio in growing-finishing pigs","authors":"Inonge Reimert ,&nbsp;Tanja Peric ,&nbsp;Matilde Giombolini ,&nbsp;Ewa Sell-Kubiak ,&nbsp;Mathilde Coutant ,&nbsp;Paolo Ferrari ,&nbsp;Anita Zaworska-Zakrzewska ,&nbsp;Alberto Prandi ,&nbsp;Bas Kemp","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105854","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105854","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how husbandry practices affect chronic stress in growing-finishing pigs is essential to improve their welfare. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of two important practices, i.e., stocking density and enrichment, within different husbandry systems by studying concentrations of hair cortisol and hair dehydroepiandrosterone (sulphate) (DHEA(S)) and their ratio, as markers for chronic stress. Hereto, in six experiments, various organic and conventional systems were studied in which the stocking density and the level of enrichment varied. We found that a lower stocking density generally resulted in lower hair cortisol and DHEA(S) concentrations, but the effect of stocking density on the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio was less clear. Access to enrichment only tended to result in higher DHEA(S) concentrations in one of the experiments. Furthermore, sex tended to affect or affected hair cortisol, DHEA(S) and/or the ratio only in some of the experiments. These results suggest that a lower stocking density is beneficial for growing-finishing pigs as they seemed to be less chronically stressed. That the enrichment items did not beneficially affect hair cortisol and DHEA(S) was likely due to the relatively small contrast between the control and enriched condition, as the pigs in the control condition already had access to straw. As not much studies have investigated hair DHEA(S) concentrations in pigs, more research is needed to get more insight of this hormone in relation to chronic stress and the effect of sex in pigs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"303 ","pages":"Article 105854"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145578469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of 'hands-free' rational handling on operational performance and economic losses in beef cattle","authors":"Daniela Costa Cotrim Campos ,&nbsp;Adriane Lermen Zart ,&nbsp;Cláudio Vaz Di Mambro Ribeiro","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105853","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105853","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pre-slaughter handling is a critical factor affecting animal welfare, carcass quality, and economic performance in beef production systems. This study evaluated the impact of a novel low-stress protocol, Hands-Free Handling (HFH), compared to Conventional Handling (CON), on operational efficiency, carcass bruising, and financial losses in feedlot cattle. A total of 715 Nellore steers were randomly allocated to the two handling treatments. Loading time, incidence and anatomical location of carcass injuries, amount of meat discarded due to bruises and meat pH were evaluated. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models. HFH significantly reduced loading time by 43 %, the incidence of bruising by 7.6 %, and meat discard by 61.7 % (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), without affecting carcass yield or meat pH. Despite improvements, injuries remained a major source of financial loss. Economic modeling based on bruise discard data demonstrated that financial losses per carcass ranged from R$ 2.40 to R$ 2.83 for CON, and from R$ 1.48 to R$ 1.75 for HFH. Extrapolating to a slaughterhouse processing 1200 head per day, the estimated annual loss was R$ 978,781.05 for CON and R$ 604,116.36 for HFH, indicating a potential 38 % reduction in economic losses when adopting rational handling practices. In conclusion, the results highlight the relevance of rational handling strategies to improve animal welfare, reduce economic losses, and meet societal and market expectations for humane livestock practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105853"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145517004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increasing ewe productivity - challenges of sheep stakeholders across Europe and Turkey","authors":"Bríd McClearn ,&nbsp;Jean-Marc Gautier ,&nbsp;Claire Morgan-Davies ,&nbsp;Ignacia Beltrán de Heredia ,&nbsp;Roberto Ruiz ,&nbsp;Antonello Carta ,&nbsp;Sezen Ocak Yetişgin ,&nbsp;Dinu Gavojdian ,&nbsp;Cathy M. Dwyer ,&nbsp;Timothy W.J. Keady","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105852","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105852","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving ewe reproductive success and lamb survivability is essential for enhancing flock productivity, farm profitability, and the self-sufficiency of sheep meat and milk production. This study aimed to identify the perceived challenges to improving ewe productivity, through efficient reproduction, gestation, and reducing lamb mortality and determine if these challenges differ between countries. A 22-question survey (14 closed, 8 open-ended) was conducted in 2017 across seven countries participating in the SheepNet project (France, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, UK, and Turkey). A number of press releases were circulated in each of the seven SheepNet countries making stakeholders aware of the survey and asking them to identify their challenges to improving ewe productivity through efficient reproduction, gestation and reduced lamb mortality. The surveys were completed by stakeholders either on the website, by e-mail or written mail or during sheep stakeholder events. Key challenges to improving ewe fertility included ewe body condition, nutrition and grassland management, flock health, and ewe lamb management. Reducing lamb mortality was primarily hindered by challenges related to lambing preparation, shed management, nutrition, labour, and hygiene. The findings suggest that despite diverse production systems, common challenges exist across Europe and Turkey. Addressing these challenges through the dissemination of best management practices can significantly enhance flock productivity. This study provides valuable insights into shared farmer experiences and underscores the importance of knowledge exchange across regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105852"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145517002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploratory study of the potential use of a novel pooled phenotype to select against boar taint","authors":"Alice Markey ,&nbsp;Anaïs Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Pierre-Hugues Stefanuto ,&nbsp;Jean-François Focant ,&nbsp;Anne-Catherine Huet ,&nbsp;José Wavreille ,&nbsp;Katrien Wijnrocx ,&nbsp;Nicolas Gengler","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Meat quality traits are economically important in pig production. Breeding strategies can help prevent meat defects such as boar taint, usually characterized by quantified indole, skatole and androstenone (ISA) in back fat. This exploratory study investigated the genetic potential of a novel boar taint phenotype, pooling volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which were recently identified as phenotypically discriminant. Fat samples were collected from 1272 Pietrain × Landrace crossbred boars. Phenotypes for boar taint on these samples were: lab sensory score (LSS; <em>n</em> = 1269), ISA quantification (<em>n</em> = 308), and VOC profiles (<em>n</em> = 127). Given the limited amount of data, a selection index-based approach was used to pool traits in trait groups, ISA and VOC, considering LSS as reference trait. (Co)variance components were estimated with a full multi-trait model, and index equations were adjusted to account for uncertainty in estimated parameters. Index coefficients were then applied to ISA and VOC phenotypes to generate two pooled phenotypes, ISA and VOC indices. Estimates from the 3-trait model (LSS, ISA index and VOC index) confirmed high expected correlations with LSS. Genetic parameter estimates showed higher significance demonstrating the interest of pooling multiple partially informative traits together. Moreover, using the VOC index would generate a higher expected correlated genetic response in LSS (192 %) than the ISA index (160 %) compared to the direct response when using only LSS. Despite limited data, this exploratory study showed the potential of this novel broad phenotype based on pooled VOCs to improve genetic selection for reduced boar taint risk, although further validation in larger populations is required.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105844"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145517003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic parameters for litter and carcass traits in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs","authors":"Iasmin Marques Rocha ,&nbsp;Giovanna Maria dos Santos Câmara ,&nbsp;Maria Victória Henrique Genuíno ,&nbsp;Ayrton Fernandes de Oliveira Bessa ,&nbsp;Roney Teixeira ,&nbsp;Luis Artur Loyola Chardulo ,&nbsp;Rogério Abdallah Curi ,&nbsp;Welder Angelo Baldassini ,&nbsp;Guilherme Luis Pereira ,&nbsp;Daniela do Amaral Grossi ,&nbsp;Marcos Eli Buzanskas","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105843","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105843","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Swine production has focused on improving litter size and carcass traits to enhance productivity. Genetic progress in traits such as the number of piglets born alive (NBA), birth weight (BW), number of piglets weaned (NPW), total teat number (TN), number of days to reach 100 kg (AGE100), backfat thickness (BF), and loin depth (LD) is of great importance for breeding efficiency. The present study aimed to estimate genetic parameters, including heritability and genetic correlations, for the mentioned traits in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs. Genetic parameters were estimated using the restricted maximum likelihood method, considering an animal model. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.06 (NPW) to 0.41 (BW) in Landrace and 0.04 (NPW) to 0.40 (BW) in Yorkshire. Maternal heritability and permanent environmental effects were low, with values between 0.02 and 0.05. The maternal permanent environmental variance ranged between 0.03 and 0.09. Repeatability estimates for all traits ranged from 0.10 (NPW) to 0.49 (BW). All the traits studied showed sufficient additive genetic variability, enabling effective selection in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs. Greater relative responses are expected for BF, BW, NBA, LD, and TN. Selection for BW may yield favorable correlated responses with NPW, TN, and AGE100, while direct selection for TN may enhance sow reproductive performance. Genetic correlations between BF and LD indicated that both traits can be improved simultaneously without unfavorable effects. Although the correlation between NBA and BW was not high, caution is warranted regarding the increase in litter size due to potential negative consequences, such as reduced birth weight and higher piglet mortality. Despite previous investigations on these traits, this study provides updated and robust estimates from a large, consistent, and environmentally controlled population, representing a valuable case study for commercial swine breeding programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105843"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145418112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A rapid laboratory method for estimating the standardised precaecal digestible amino acids in pig feeds","authors":"Valérie Schumacher ,&nbsp;Markus Rodehutscord ,&nbsp;Karl-Heinz Südekum ,&nbsp;Saskia Kehraus","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105841","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105841","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amino acids (AA) are essential nutrients for diverse processes in the pig’s body. The utilisation of AA depends on their digestibility and absorption. Therefore, methods to determine reliably the AA supply to pigs to sustain performance and animal health are critical for precise feed evaluation. The evaluation of AA supply has so far been based on <em>in vivo</em> determination of standardised precaecal digestible (pcd) AA (pcdAA) and <em>in vitro</em> estimates of pcdAA applying time-consuming and complex laboratory methods. The objective of this study was to develop and establish a rapid laboratory method for estimating pcdAA based on the determination of AA insoluble in neutral-detergent (ND) or acid-detergent (AD) (NDIAA, ADIAA). The laboratory method used the same procedure which was previously applied to estimate standardised pcd crude protein (pcdCP). The hypothesis was that the method was similarly suitable to estimate pcdAA. A sample pool of 74 feed ingredients (cereal grains, differently heat-treated legume grains) was available on which <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA were determined in cannulated pigs. Amino acids in feed ingredients and in ND or AD residues of feed ingredients were determined by an HPLC method. The concentrations (g/kg dry matter) of ND- and AD-soluble AA (NDSAA, ADSAA) were calculated by difference to total AA in feed. For the estimation of the concentrations of <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA for total AA and the entire dataset (<em>n</em> = 74), a linear relationship was established between the concentrations of NDSAA or ADSAA and the <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA: y = 0.823 (standard error [SE] 0.018) x + 10.52 (SE 4.420), where y represents the <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA (g/kg dry matter) and x represents the NDSAA (cereal grains) or ADSAA (protein feeds) value (g/kg dry matter). The coefficient of determination (R²) of this equation was 0.968 and ranged from 0.895 to 0.984 for the 17 individual AA. This study shows that <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA values can be estimated following the same standardised and rapid laboratory procedure previously established for pcdCP, based on chemical analyses, namely determination of NDIAA and ADIAA, from which NDSAA and ADSAA values are calculated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105841"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145466250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Frequency of the beta-carotene oxygenase 2 (BCO2) allele associated with the yellow fat phenotype in rabbits: insights into the spread of a genetic alteration in a wide variety of breeds and populations","authors":"Valeria Taurisano ,&nbsp;Anisa Ribani ,&nbsp;Samuele Bovo ,&nbsp;Giuseppina Schiavo ,&nbsp;Francesca Bertolini ,&nbsp;Michele Schiavitto ,&nbsp;Luca Fontanesi","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105842","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105842","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In various animal species, the accumulation of carotenoids that are not completely metabolized leads to yellow fat pigmentation. In rabbits, the yellow-fat phenotype was described by classic genetic studies at the beginning of the last century to be determined by a simple Mendelian recessive allele at the <em>Yellow</em> locus, in linkage with the <em>Albino</em> coat colour locus. More recent studies reported that a deletion of three nucleotides at codon 248 of the beta-carotene oxygenase 2 (<em>BCO2</em>) gene (delAAT) is the causative mutation for the yellow-fat defect when in a homozygous state. In this study, we genotyped the <em>BCO2</em> polymorphic site in 1041 rabbits from 41 breeds and populations, including albino rabbit breeds. Considering the overall genotyped population, the frequency of the delAAT allele was 11.96%. Homozygous delAAT/delAAT rabbits had a frequency of 3.55%, while the heterozygous rabbits had a frequency of 16.81%. In 12 out of 41 breeds/populations, all rabbits analysed were homozygous for the wild-type allele, while in 29 the mutated allele segregates. Only one breed, Lynx (with a pale silver-blue coat colour and yellow-red shades), was fixed for the delAAT allele, suggesting its potential functional role in determining the yellow-red secondary tint that characterises this breed. Comparing the molecular genetic results with the genetic information reported in earlier literature, the frequency of the mutated allele decreased over the last 80 years, probably due to culling of the carriers for the negative effect on carcass quality, due to the preference of consumers for white fat in rabbit meat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105842"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145364636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review: Strategies to stimulate piglet creep feed intake before weaning","authors":"Malene Hald ,&nbsp;Thomas S. Bruun ,&nbsp;Trine F. Pedersen ,&nbsp;Mette S. Hedemann","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105840","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105840","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stimulating creep feed intake in piglets is increasingly important due to larger litter sizes, which raise piglet requirements to levels above the sow milk production. Although intake is typically low during the initial weeks, piglets show exploratory behavior (nosing, rooting, and chewing) from the first week of life. Supporting this behavior in conventional farrowing environments can promote early feed engagement. This review highlights strategies to enhance creep feed intake, including housing and creep feeder design, feeding practices, feed characteristics, and management. Creep feeder design and sow confinement (crated vs. loose) affect piglet interaction with feed. Introducing solid feed between 5 and 10 days after farrowing is recommended. The physical form of creep feed (e.g., meal, pellets, crumbles, thermally processed, or liquid) plays a key role. Pellet diameter is especially important; larger pellets (≥ 8 mm) stimulate feeding behavior. Sensory properties (taste, smell, texture) are less critical in attracting piglets. While dietary complexity can influence intake, high-complexity diets do not always outperform low complexity diets, even though these may contain less ingredients and less refined ingredients. Flavor additives, either in the sow’s diet or the creep feed, may improve palatability and familiarity. Increasing the weaning age is the most efficient tool to increase creep feed intake and reduce the proportion of non-eaters at weaning. In conclusion, a multifactorial approach integrating these elements may be most effective in optimizing early feed consumption and adapting to solid feed before weaning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105840"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic parameters and genomic predictions for economically important traits in Montana® composite cattle using different models","authors":"Flávia Cristina Bis ,&nbsp;Eduarda da Silva Oliveira ,&nbsp;Caroline Assis Almeida ,&nbsp;Elisângela Chicaroni de Mattos Oliveira ,&nbsp;Letícia Pereira ,&nbsp;Rafael Espigolan ,&nbsp;Joanir Pereira Eler ,&nbsp;Luís Telo Da Gama ,&nbsp;Rafael Nuñez Dominguez ,&nbsp;José Bento Sterman Ferraz ,&nbsp;Fernando Baldi","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105839","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assessed the impact of breed effects, heterosis, and recombination on genomic predictions for growth, reproduction, and body composition traits in Montana® cattle. The database included 124,547 records for Birth Weight (BW), 111,103 for Weaning Weight (WW), 87,740 for Weight at 12 months (W12), 49,249 for Post-weaning Weight Gain (WG), 87,740 for Scrotal Circumference (SC), and 44,873 for Muscularity (MUSC), with 3911 genotyped animals from the Montana® composite program. Models M1 to M5 included fixed effects of contemporary group, embryo transfer, and cow age at calving (linear and quadratic). The effects of direct and maternal breed composition, heterozygosity, and recombination varied across models. From model M2 onward, covariates for biological type, heterosis (direct, maternal, specific), and recombination (direct, maternal, specific) were added. All genomic analyses used the ssGBLUP method, and the LR (Linear Regression) validation method was used to assess predictive ability and model effect influence. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.19 to 0.22 for WW, 0.15 to 0.20 for WG, 0.36 to 0.37 for BW, 0.23 to 0.29 for W12, 0.28 to 0.29 for SC, and 0.17 to 0.19 for MUSC. The most parameterized models showed the best fit by AIC, with M5 best for WW, W12, WG, and SC; M4 for BW; and M3 for MUSC. Model M1 showed the best prediction ability for WW and W12, with the highest accuracies (0.407 and 0.456), best dispersions (1.01 and 0.897), and lowest biases (0.098 and 0.068), respectively. For WG, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.452), M5 the best dispersion (0.940), and M4 the lowest bias (0.028). For BW, M5 showed the highest accuracy (0.452), M4 the best dispersion (1.001), and M3 the lowest bias (-0.006). For SC, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.501), M3 the best dispersion (1.004), and M4 the lowest bias (0.092). For MUSC, M4 had the highest accuracy (0.415) and lowest bias (0.057), while M2 showed the best dispersion (0.979). More parameterized models provided a better fit for variance component estimation. In general, genomic predictions with M1 displayed the highest accuracies for WW, W12, WG, and SC, and lower bias for most traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105839"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145364637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}