Diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats: multi-scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield, body condition score and body weight

In the dairy goat sector, reduced longevity is a key issue leading to higher replacement rates in the herd and a poor dilution of doe-rearing costs. There is a need to better understand the determinants of lifetime performance. Thus, the general objective of this work was to analyze the phenotypic v...

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Main Authors: Gafsi, Nicolas, Martin, Olivier, Bidan, Fabrice, Grimard, Bénédicte, Puillet, Laurence
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Peer Community In 2024-09-01
Series:Peer Community Journal
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Online Access:https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.449/
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author Gafsi, Nicolas
Martin, Olivier
Bidan, Fabrice
Grimard, Bénédicte
Puillet, Laurence
author_facet Gafsi, Nicolas
Martin, Olivier
Bidan, Fabrice
Grimard, Bénédicte
Puillet, Laurence
author_sort Gafsi, Nicolas
collection DOAJ
description In the dairy goat sector, reduced longevity is a key issue leading to higher replacement rates in the herd and a poor dilution of doe-rearing costs. There is a need to better understand the determinants of lifetime performance. Thus, the general objective of this work was to analyze the phenotypic variability of lifetime trajectories (milk yield (MY), body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS)) through a 3-step approach: (1) characterize individual phenotypic lactation curves, (2) explore the associations between MY, BW and BCS curves at the lactation scale and (3) assess the diversity of phenotypic curves over successive lactations. Routine data from two experimental farms: Le Pradel (Dataset 1, Ardeche department, France) and MoSAR experimental farm (Dataset 2, Yvelines department, France) were used. Dataset 1 included 793 Alpine goats from 1996 to 2020. Dataset 2 included 339 Alpine and 310 Saanen goats from 2006 to 2022. Weekly MY records (Dataset 1) and daily MY records (Dataset 2) were fitted using a lactation model with explicit representation of perturbations. Monthly BW records (Dataset 1) and BCS records (Dataset 1&2) were fitted using the Grossman multiphasic model. Daily BW records (Dataset 2) were fitted using a weight model. Each individual lactation curve modeled for MY, BW and BCS was thus summarized by synthetic indicators of level and dynamics. Principal component analysis was performed on the MY, BW and BCS indicators separately, and clusters of phenotypic curves identified. At the lactation scale, associations between MY, BW and BCS clusters were evaluated by contingency tables with a chi-square test. Lifetime-scale bar plots were used to display cluster changes throughout parities. For MY curves, 4 and 3 clusters were found for primiparous and multiparous goats respectively. For BW, lumbar and sternal BCS curves, 3 clusters were found for all parities. At the lactation scale, no major association was found among phenotypic curves suggesting a diversity of energy partitioning strategies between life functions. At the lifetime scale, change among clusters occurred primarily between first and second lactation, whereas a pattern of stable cluster membership appeared for multiparous goats. Further analyses are needed to include reproductive performance in analyzing lifetime performance clusters, to better identify clusters or combinations of clusters at risk for culling.
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spelling doaj-art-2d25c57c6dee4b738af196bd580362922025-02-07T10:17:17ZengPeer Community InPeer Community Journal2804-38712024-09-01410.24072/pcjournal.44910.24072/pcjournal.449Diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats: multi-scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield, body condition score and body weight Gafsi, Nicolas0https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0808-5720Martin, Olivier1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7375-2850Bidan, Fabrice2https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0553-8822Grimard, Bénédicte3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5419-4774Puillet, Laurence4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2358-7302Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR Modélisation Systémique Appliquée aux Ruminants, 91120, Palaiseau, France; Institut de l’Elevage, 75595 Paris, FranceUniversité Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR Modélisation Systémique Appliquée aux Ruminants, 91120, Palaiseau, FranceInstitut de l’Elevage, 75595 Paris, FranceUniversité Paris-Saclay, INRAE, ENVA UMR BREED, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas,FranceUniversité Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR Modélisation Systémique Appliquée aux Ruminants, 91120, Palaiseau, FranceIn the dairy goat sector, reduced longevity is a key issue leading to higher replacement rates in the herd and a poor dilution of doe-rearing costs. There is a need to better understand the determinants of lifetime performance. Thus, the general objective of this work was to analyze the phenotypic variability of lifetime trajectories (milk yield (MY), body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS)) through a 3-step approach: (1) characterize individual phenotypic lactation curves, (2) explore the associations between MY, BW and BCS curves at the lactation scale and (3) assess the diversity of phenotypic curves over successive lactations. Routine data from two experimental farms: Le Pradel (Dataset 1, Ardeche department, France) and MoSAR experimental farm (Dataset 2, Yvelines department, France) were used. Dataset 1 included 793 Alpine goats from 1996 to 2020. Dataset 2 included 339 Alpine and 310 Saanen goats from 2006 to 2022. Weekly MY records (Dataset 1) and daily MY records (Dataset 2) were fitted using a lactation model with explicit representation of perturbations. Monthly BW records (Dataset 1) and BCS records (Dataset 1&2) were fitted using the Grossman multiphasic model. Daily BW records (Dataset 2) were fitted using a weight model. Each individual lactation curve modeled for MY, BW and BCS was thus summarized by synthetic indicators of level and dynamics. Principal component analysis was performed on the MY, BW and BCS indicators separately, and clusters of phenotypic curves identified. At the lactation scale, associations between MY, BW and BCS clusters were evaluated by contingency tables with a chi-square test. Lifetime-scale bar plots were used to display cluster changes throughout parities. For MY curves, 4 and 3 clusters were found for primiparous and multiparous goats respectively. For BW, lumbar and sternal BCS curves, 3 clusters were found for all parities. At the lactation scale, no major association was found among phenotypic curves suggesting a diversity of energy partitioning strategies between life functions. At the lifetime scale, change among clusters occurred primarily between first and second lactation, whereas a pattern of stable cluster membership appeared for multiparous goats. Further analyses are needed to include reproductive performance in analyzing lifetime performance clusters, to better identify clusters or combinations of clusters at risk for culling.https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.449/Dairy goats, milk yield curves, body weight curves, body condition score curves, lactation scale, lifetime scale
spellingShingle Gafsi, Nicolas
Martin, Olivier
Bidan, Fabrice
Grimard, Bénédicte
Puillet, Laurence
Diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats: multi-scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield, body condition score and body weight
Peer Community Journal
Dairy goats, milk yield curves, body weight curves, body condition score curves, lactation scale, lifetime scale
title Diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats: multi-scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield, body condition score and body weight
title_full Diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats: multi-scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield, body condition score and body weight
title_fullStr Diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats: multi-scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield, body condition score and body weight
title_full_unstemmed Diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats: multi-scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield, body condition score and body weight
title_short Diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats: multi-scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield, body condition score and body weight
title_sort diversity of performance patterns in dairy goats multi scale analysis of the lactation curves of milk yield body condition score and body weight
topic Dairy goats, milk yield curves, body weight curves, body condition score curves, lactation scale, lifetime scale
url https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.449/
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AT bidanfabrice diversityofperformancepatternsindairygoatsmultiscaleanalysisofthelactationcurvesofmilkyieldbodyconditionscoreandbodyweight
AT grimardbenedicte diversityofperformancepatternsindairygoatsmultiscaleanalysisofthelactationcurvesofmilkyieldbodyconditionscoreandbodyweight
AT puilletlaurence diversityofperformancepatternsindairygoatsmultiscaleanalysisofthelactationcurvesofmilkyieldbodyconditionscoreandbodyweight