Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-5xszh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T11:34:06.227Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Genetic components of growth and ultrasonic fat depth traits in Meishan and Large White pigs and their reciprocal crosses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

C. S. Haley
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research, Edinburgh Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS
E. d'Agaro
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research, Edinburgh Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS
M. Ellis
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
Get access

Abstract

Genes from the Chinese Meishan pig have the potential to enhance reproductive performance of European pigs. In order to allow prediction of the impact of Meishan genes in a range of alternative improvement programmes all traits of economic importance must be evaluated and genetic crossbreeding effects estimated. Entire male and female pigs of four genotypes, purebred Meishan (MS) and Large White (LW) pigs and both reciprocal Fl crossbred genotypes (MS ♂ × LW ♀ and LW ♂ × MS ♀), were farrowed in Edinburgh and subsequently performance tested at either Edinburgh or Newcastle. In Edinburgh, animals were penned in groups of four and fed ad libitum between pen mean weights of approximately 30 and 80 kg. At the end of test fat depths at the shoulder, last rib and loin were measured ultrasonically. In Newcastle, animals were penned in groups of six and fed ad libitum between pen mean weights of approximately 30 and 70 kg. Genotypic means and genetic crossbreeding effects (additive and heterosis direct effects and additive maternal effects) were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood.

When compared with the LW, the direct additive effect of genes from the MS produced increased growth rate up to the time of weaning, no change in growth rate between weaning and start of test and greatly reduced growth rate during the performance test. The maternal additive effect of genes from the MS was to reduce growth rate up to the time of weaning, with little effect thereafter. There was substantial direct heterosis for growth rate in all periods measured, but heterosis was less in males than in females during the performance test. The combined effect was such that, within sex, the LW and the two crossbred genotypes were of similar ages when they reached 70 and 80 kg, but MS pigs were 38 to 60 days older. The direct additive effect of MS genes was to increase subcutaneous fat levels and there was little evidence for the effects of maternal genes or direct heterosis on these traits. There was a direct additive effect of MS genes reducing food intake and increasing food conversion ratio and there was direct heterosis for increased food intake. There were significant interactions between genotype and sex. Male and female LW pigs had a similar performance but male MS pigs had slower growth rates on the performance test with lower food intakes, food conversion ratios and subcutaneous fat levels than the females.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Avalos, E. and Smith, C. 1987. Genetic improvement of litter size in pigs. Animal Production 44:153163.Google Scholar
Bidanel, J. P. 1989. [Study of strategies of the value of the Meishan pig breed used in crossbreeding. 3. Comparative evaluation of different crossbreeding systems.] Journées de la Recherche Porcine en Prance 21: 361366.Google Scholar
Bidanel, J. P., Caritez, J. C., Fleury, J., Gruand, J. and Legault, C. 1989a. [Study of strategies of the value of the Meishan pig breed used in crossbreeding. 2. Estimation of crossbreeding parameters for production traits.] Journées de la Recherche Porcine en France 21: 353360.Google Scholar
Bidanel, J. P., Caritez, J. C. and Legault, C. 1989b. Estimation of crossbreeding parameters between Large White and Meishan porcine breeds. 1. Reproductive performance. Génétique, Sélection, Évolution 21:507526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cameron, N. D., Curran, M. K. and Thompson, R. 1988. Estimation of sire with feeding regime interaction in pigs. Animal Production 46: 8795.Google Scholar
Cheng, P. L. 1983. A highly prolific pig breed of China — the Taihu pig. Parts I and II. Pig News and Information 4: 407425.Google Scholar
Cheng, P. L. 1984. A highly prolific pig breed of China — the Taihu pig. Parts III and IV. Pig News and Information 5: 1318.Google Scholar
De Vries, A. G. 1989. A model to estimate economic values of traits in pig breeding. Livestock Production Science 21: 4966.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Genstat 5 Committeee. 1989. Genstat 5 reference manual. Clarendon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Haley, C. S., Ashworth, C. J., Lee, G. J., Wilmut, I., Aitken, R. P. and Ritchie, W. 1990. British studies of the genetics of prolificacy in the Meishan pig. Symposium sur le pore chinois (ed. Molenat, M. and Legault, C.), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas, France, pp. 8397.Google Scholar
Haley, C. S. and Lee, G. J. 1990. Genetic components of litter size in Meishan and Large White pigs and their crosses. Proceedings of the 4th world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, vol. XV, pp. 458461.Google Scholar
Johnson, R. K. 1981. Crossbreeding in swine: experimental results. Journal of Animal Science 52: 906923.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legault, C. and Caritez, J. C. 1983. [Experiments with Chinese pigs in France. I. Reproductive performance of purebreds and crossbreds.] Génétique, Sélection, Évolution 15: 225240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patterson, H. D. and Thompson, R. 1971. The recovery of inter-block information when block sizes are unequal. Biometrika 58: 545554.CrossRefGoogle Scholar