• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.1225-1228
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• 2006

A total of 1,367 first lactation records of daughters of 81 sires, having 5 or more progeny were used to evaluate sires by 3 different methods viz., least squares (LS), best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) and derivative free restricted maximum likelihood (DFREML) method. The highest and lowest overall average breeding value of sires for first lactation 305 days or less milk yield was obtained by BLUP (1,520.72 kg) and LS method (1,502.22 kg), respectively. The accuracy, efficiency and stability of different sire evaluation methods were compared to judge their effectiveness. The error variance of DFREML method was lowest ($191,112kg^2$) and its coefficient of determination of fitting the model was highest (33.39%) revealing that this method of sire evaluation was most efficient and accurate as compared to other methods. However, the BLUP method was most stable amongst all the methods having coefficient of variation (%) very near to unadjusted data (18.72% versus 19.89%). The higher rank correlations (0.7979 to 0.9568) between different sire evaluation methods indicated that there was higher degree of similarity of ranking sires by different methods ranging from about 80 to 96 percent. However, the DFREML method seemed to be the most effective sire evaluation method as compared to other methods for the present set of data.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.319-323
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• 2006

Heritabilities and genetic correlations of economic traits were estimated with a multiple-trait animal model on 5 different strains of Korea Native Chickens (KNC): Red Brown (RB), Yellow Brown (YB), Gray Brown (GB), Black (B) and White (W). The data used for this study were collected from the Daejeon branch of the National Livestock Research Institute and included 11,233 performance records and 12,729 individual animals. DFREML and SAS BASE/STAT packages were used to estimate genetic parameters and descriptive statistics. The estimated heritabilities for strain RB, YB, GB, B and W, respectively, for age at 1st egg were 0.24, 0.27, 0.12, 0.32 and 0.18; for body weight at first egg were 0.39, 0.43, 0.38, 0.52 and 0.57; for body weight at age of 270 days were 0.43, 0.51, 0.30, 0.52 and 0.67; for egg weight at first egg were 0.08, 0.13, 0.07, 0.06 and 0.07; for egg weight at age of 270 days were 0.37, 0.43, 0.22, 0.34 and 0.41; and for number of eggs laid by age of 270 days were 0.24, 0.25, 0.37, 0.36 and 0.30. The genetic and phenotypic correlations were also estimated.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.699-710
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• 2007

This study was conducted to estimate the genetic parameters and their relationships with weight traits of the steers and bulls in the Hanwoo population. The data used were weights and weight gain of performance and progeny test from 6,024 heads of Hanwoo. Data of performance test consisted of total 3,737 heads raised from August, 1989 to September, 2005. The number of the records of progeny test was total 2,287 heads from August, 1996 to June, 2004. The heritabilities and correlations for the body weights at the ages of 6 months, 12 months and 24 months and average daily gain were estimated by DFREML. Overall means and standard deviations of body weights at 6 and 12 months of age and average daily gain(ADG) from the data of performance test were 181.72±30.22kg, 351.48±40.24kg, 998.07±153.84g, respectively. Overall means and standard deviations of body weights at 6, 12, and 24 month of age and ADG from the data of progeny test were 169.18±32.82kg, 229.37±44.57kg, 570.45±64.36kg and 739.41± 172.14g, respectively. The heritability estimates of the body weight at 6, 12 month and ADG from the performance test were 0.54±0.06, 0.60±0.06 and 0.23±0.04, respectively. The heritability estimates of the body weight at 6, 12, 24 month and ADG from the progeny test were 0.80±0.08, 0.50±0.07, 0.46±0.07 and 0.07±0.03, respectively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.302-307
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• 2010

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal factors on body weight at hatching (day-old) and at six weeks of age in a commercial broiler line. A total of 6,765 records on body weight at day-old (BWTDO) and 115,421 records on body weight at six weeks of age (BWT6W), originated from a commercial broiler line during 14 generations, were used to estimate genetic parameters related to the effects of maternal traits on body weight of chicks immediately after hatch or six weeks thereafter. The data were analyzed using restricted maximum likelihood procedure (REML) and an animal model with DFREML software. Direct heritability ($h^{2}{_a}$), maternal heritability ($h^{2}{_m}$), and maternal environmental variance as the proportions of phenotypic variance ($c^{2}$) for body weight at day-old were estimated to be 0.050, 0.351, and 0.173, respectively. The respective estimated values for body weight at six weeks of age were 0.340, 0.022, and 0.030. The correlation coefficient between direct and maternal genetic effects for six-week-old body weight was found to be -0.335. Covariance components and genetic correlations were estimated using a bivariate analysis based on the best model determined by a univariate analysis. Between weights at hatching and at six week-old, the values of -0.07, 0.53 and 0.47 were found for the direct additive genetic variance, maternal additive genetic variance and permanent maternal environmental variance, respectively. The estimated correlation between direct additive genetic effect influencing weight at hatch and direct additive maternal effect affecting weight at six weeks of age was -0.21, whereas the correlation value of 0.15 was estimated between direct additive maternal effect influencing weight at hatch and direct additive genetic effect affecting weight at six-week-old. From the present findings, it can be concluded that the maternal additive genetic effect observed for weight at six weeks of age might be a factor transferred from genes influencing weight at hatch to weight at six-week-old.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.739-743
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• 2011

The aim of this paper was to estimate genetic parameters for body weight and five body measurements for an experimental population of Iranian Makooei sheep maintained at the Makooei Sheep Breeding Station at Makoo, Iran. To do this, yearling live weight (YW), and five body measurements, i.e., body length (BL), heart girth (HG), height at withers (HW), height at back (HB) and scrotal circumference (SC), were analyzed in a multi-trait animal model using the DXMUX program of DFREML software package. Heritability estimates were $0.22{\pm}0.08$, $0.11{\pm}0.06$, $0.21{\pm}0.07$, $0.17{\pm}0.06$, $0.17{\pm}0.06$ and $0.32{\pm}0.10$ for YW, BL, HG, HW, HB and SC, respectively. These estimates indicate that selection in Makooei sheep would generate moderate genetic progress in body weight and body measurements. Scrotal circumference, as an indicator of reproductive potential, exhibited the highest heritability. This trait, therefore, could successfully be used to increase productivity of males and, indirectly, female fertility. Genetic correlations between traits studied were all positive and ranged from 0.15 (YW/HB) to 0.99 (HW/HB). Phenotypic correlations were also positive and ranged from moderate (0.32, HW/SC) to high (0.94, HW/HB). Positive genetic and phenotypic correlations indicate that improvement in body measurements both at the genetic and phenotypic levels is expected through selection on body weight and vice versa.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.909-914
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• 2005

This study was conducted to estimate phenotypic and genetic parameters of body condition score (BCS) and reproductive traits in Hanwoo cows. DFREML procedures were applied to obtain variance-covariance components and heritability estimates with single or two-trait models. Estimates of phenotypic correlations of BCS at service with BCS at calving was 0.16 and 0.26 with calving interval, 0.08 with gestation length, and 0.06 with number of services per conception, respectively. Estimates of phenotypic correlation of BCS at calving was 0.10 with calving interval, 0.13 with gestation length, and 0.10 with number of services per conception, respectively. Estimates of phenotypic correlation were low and negative, -0.11 between calving interval and gestation length and -0.13 between gestation length and number of services per conception. Estimates of direct genetic correlation were -0.06, between BCS at service and BCS at calving, 0.37 between BCS at service and BCS at weaning, and -0.18 between BCS at calving and BCS at weaning. Estimates of direct genetic correlation of days from calving to the 1st service were 0.17 with number of services per conception and -0.21 with BCS at service. Estimates of direct genetic correlation for BCS at calving were -0.02 with number of services per conception and -0.08 with BCS at service. Estimates of direct genetic correlation for BCS at weaning were 0.02 with number of services per conception and -0.07 with BCS at service. Estimates of direct heritability from single trait analyses were 0.13 for BCS at service, 0.20 for BCS at calving, 0.02 for BCS at weaning, and 0.20 for number of service per conception, respectively. Estimates of direct heritability were 0.20 for birth weight and 0.10 for weaning weight.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.345-352
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• 2009

This study utilized 332,625 records of linear type scores consisting for 15 primary traits, 22,175 final score and 84,612 pedigree information of 22,175 Holstein cows from 1993 to 2007 in Korea to estimate genetic parameters for 16 type traits. Genetic and error (co)variances between two traits selected from 16 traits were estimated using bi-trait pairwise analyses with DFREML package. The estimated heritabilities for stature (ST), strength (STR), body depth (BD), dairy form (DF), rump angle (RA), thurl width (TW), rear legs side view (RLSV), foot angle (FA), fore udder attachment (FUA), rear udder height (RUH), rear udder width (RUW), udder cleft (UC), udder depth (UD), front teat placement (FTP), front teat length (FTL) and final score (FS) were 0.31, 0.21, 0.25, 0.10, 0.29, 0.19, 0.09, 0.06, 0.12, 0.13, 0.12, 0.08, 0.26, 0.20, 0.28 and 0.15, respectively. ST had the highest positive genetic correlation with BD (0.90), while RLSV had the highest negative genetic correlation with FA (-0.56). RA had negative genetic correlation with most udder traits (-0.17~-0.02). Especially, RUW had the higher positive genetic correlation with STR (0.60), BD (0.62), and TW (0.49), however, UD had the higher negative genetic correlation with STR (-0.40) and BD (-0.40). FTL had negative genetic correlation with FUA, RUH, RUW, UC and UD. FS had positive genetic correlation with UC, UD and FTP (0.12, 0.18 and 0.20). However, additional research is needed on the use of these parameters in the genetic evaluation because estimated genetic and error variance-covariance matrices were not positive definite.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.177-182
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• 2007

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic relationship between weaning weight (WW) and carcass traits. Carcass traits were eye muscle area(EMA), back fat thickness(BFT), marbling score 1(MS1) in 21 grade scales, marbling score 2(MS2) in 7 grade scales and meat color scores(Mcolor). Parameters were estimated by REML procedure with MTDFREML package. Models included contemporary group as defined by the same year-season-sex at birth, linear covariates of age(days) at weaning, age of dam(days) and age at slaughter(days) as fixed effects and animal random effects for all the traits. Heritability estimates of WW, EMA, BFT, MS1, MS2 and Mcolor were 0.25, 0.20, 0.20, 0.32, 0.32 and 0.22, respectively. Genetic(phenotypic) correlation coefficients of WW with EMA, BFT, MS1, MS2 and Mcolor were 0.75(0.16), 0.18(0.05), －0.41(－0.09), －0.40(0.11) and －0.07(0.05), respectively. Results from this study suggest that single trait selection for weaning weight would lead to progeny population having carcass with large EMA, thick BFT and decreased MS.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.183-194
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• 2007

We examined the expression patterns of the chicken TCs(tentative consensus sequences) originated from GermOnline genes in various chicken tissues, applying information from GermOnline to chicken organisms. 42 TCs among 84 chicken homologous TCs from the pool of 84 genes related to germ cell lineage in mouse(10), rat(71) and human(3) had high homology based on a BLAST search. Of these, Hmgcs2 and Sycp3 was shown to be expressed in a testis- specific manner and a reproductive organ(testis and ovary)-specific manner, respectively, by RT- PCR analysis. Crmp4, Cyct, Ldhc, Epha7, Pcsk4 and Dnmt3a are expressed in brain, testis, and ovary. The characterization of chicken genes originated from GermOnline in this research may give an enormously useful source of information related to germ cell development.