Effect of Proportion of Recorded Cows Inseminated by Young A. I. Bulls on Genetic Improvement in Japanese Holstein Population

The effects of the proprotion of cows inseminated by young A. I. bulls on genetic improvement in the Japanese Holstein population were examined using a simulation technique. The proportion of recorded cows inseminated by young A. I. bulls was assumed to be from 10% to 100% of the total number of recorded cows. The expected total genetic improvement was estimated for all cows and recorded and non recorded cows. The effects of the above were remarkable in the schemes that proven sires were used to produce recorded and non recorded cows for a limited time. Also the increase in the rates for -the expected total genetic improvement was larger when the proportion of recorded cows that were inseminated by young A. I. bulls was about 10% to 40%. When the expected total genetic improvement was estimated for the entire population, we found that the highest values were in a range of about 40 to 60% recorded cows that were inseminated by young A. I. bulls. On the other hand, the expected total genetic improvement that was only estimated in recorded cows dramatically decreased for more than 40% of the recorded cows. The results of this study showed that the optimal proportion of recorded cows inseminated with young A. I. bulls should be about 30% in the Japanese Holstein population.