Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Apr;128(2):133-40.
doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0388.2010.00882.x. Epub 2010 Oct 28.

Genetic evaluation of Ethiopian Boran cattle and their crosses with Holstein Friesian for growth performance in central Ethiopia

Affiliations

Genetic evaluation of Ethiopian Boran cattle and their crosses with Holstein Friesian for growth performance in central Ethiopia

A Haile et al. J Anim Breed Genet. 2011 Apr.

Abstract

Breed additive and non-additive effects, and heritabilities of birth weight (BWT), weaning weight (WWT), 6 months weight (SMWT), yearling weight (YWT), eighteen months weight (EWT), 2 years weight (TWT) and average daily weight gain from birth to 6 months (ADG1) and from 6 months to 2 years (ADG2) were estimated in Ethiopian Boran (B) cattle and their crosses with Holstein Friesian (F) in central Ethiopia. The data analysed were spread over 15 years. Ethiopian Boran were consistently lighter (p < 0.01) than the B-F crosses at all ages. Ethiopian Boran also gained lower weight than all the crosses. At birth, 50% F crosses were significantly (p < 0.01) lighter than all the other crosses. However, the differences in SMWT, YWT, EWT, TWT, ADG1 and ADG2 were all non-significant among the crosses. The individual additive breed differences between B and F breeds were positive and significant (p < 0.01) for all traits. The individual heterosis effects were significant (p < 0.05) for all traits except WWT for which the effect was non-significant. The maternal heterosis effects were significant (p < 0.01) for BWT (2.5 kg) and WWT (-3.0 kg). The heritability estimates for all traits in B and crosses were generally moderate to high indicating that there is scope for genetic improvement through selection. Selection within B and crossbreeding should be the strategy to enhance the growth performance under such production systems.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources