Genetic Evaluation of Reproductive and Productive Traits in Zaraibi Goats Under Tropical Climatic Conditions
Understanding the genetic and phenotypic basis of economically important traits is essential for designing effective breeding programs in livestock. This study aimed to evaluate the phenotypic performance and estimate genetic parameters for one reproductive trait—litter size at birth (LSB)—and three...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Ruminants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-933X/5/2/27 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849432423820951552 |
|---|---|
| author | Aya Esam Hemada Heba Abd El-Halim Ahmed Asmaa Zayed Mohamed Adel Salah Khattab Oludayo Michael Akinsola Thiruvenkadan Aranganoor Kannan |
| author_facet | Aya Esam Hemada Heba Abd El-Halim Ahmed Asmaa Zayed Mohamed Adel Salah Khattab Oludayo Michael Akinsola Thiruvenkadan Aranganoor Kannan |
| author_sort | Aya Esam Hemada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding the genetic and phenotypic basis of economically important traits is essential for designing effective breeding programs in livestock. This study aimed to evaluate the phenotypic performance and estimate genetic parameters for one reproductive trait—litter size at birth (LSB)—and three pre-weaning growth traits—birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and average daily gain (ADG)—in a population of 1888 Zaraibi kids born between 2018 and 2023. Genetic parameters were estimated using animal models implemented in the MTDFREML software. The overall least squares means (±standard error) for LSB, BW, WW, and ADG were 2.22 ± 0.02, 2.03 ± 0.01 kg, 10.22 ± 0.05 kg, and 90.00 ± 0.50 g/day, respectively. Statistical analyses indicated that month of birth, year of birth, and type of birth had significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) effects on all traits, while the sex of the kids had no significant effect (<i>p</i> > 0.05) on LSB. Direct heritability estimates (h<sup>2</sup><sub>d</sub>) derived from Model 1 (including additive genetic, permanent environmental, and residual effects) were 0.13 ± 0.01 for LSB, 0.30 ± 0.04 for BW, 0.38 ± 0.01 for WW, and 0.30 ± 0.10 for ADG. Under Model 2 (which incorporated maternal genetic effects and their covariance with direct genetic effects), maternal heritability (h<sup>2</sup><sub>m</sub>) estimates for LSB, BW, WW, and ADG were 0.05 ± 0.01, 0.15 ± 0.01, 0.12 ± 0.01, and 0.14 ± 0.01, respectively. Overall, the results emphasize the importance of maternal genetic effects in influencing pre-weaning growth traits. Therefore, maternal genetic components should be explicitly considered in genetic evaluation and selection strategies aimed at improving early growth performance in Zaraibi goats. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3ca89cc73e5d47bf90d8f04b34785037 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-933X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ruminants |
| spelling | doaj-art-3ca89cc73e5d47bf90d8f04b347850372025-08-20T03:27:22ZengMDPI AGRuminants2673-933X2025-06-01522710.3390/ruminants5020027Genetic Evaluation of Reproductive and Productive Traits in Zaraibi Goats Under Tropical Climatic ConditionsAya Esam Hemada0Heba Abd El-Halim Ahmed1Asmaa Zayed Mohamed2Adel Salah Khattab3Oludayo Michael Akinsola4Thiruvenkadan Aranganoor Kannan5Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, EgyptAnimal Production Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Dokki, Cairo 12618, EgyptFaculty of Agriculture, Saba Basha, Alex University, Alexandria 21531, EgyptAnimal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, EgyptDepartment of Theriogenology and Production, University of Jos, Jos 930003, NigeriaCollege of Poultry Production and Management, Mathigiri, Hosur 635110, Tamil Nadu, IndiaUnderstanding the genetic and phenotypic basis of economically important traits is essential for designing effective breeding programs in livestock. This study aimed to evaluate the phenotypic performance and estimate genetic parameters for one reproductive trait—litter size at birth (LSB)—and three pre-weaning growth traits—birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and average daily gain (ADG)—in a population of 1888 Zaraibi kids born between 2018 and 2023. Genetic parameters were estimated using animal models implemented in the MTDFREML software. The overall least squares means (±standard error) for LSB, BW, WW, and ADG were 2.22 ± 0.02, 2.03 ± 0.01 kg, 10.22 ± 0.05 kg, and 90.00 ± 0.50 g/day, respectively. Statistical analyses indicated that month of birth, year of birth, and type of birth had significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) effects on all traits, while the sex of the kids had no significant effect (<i>p</i> > 0.05) on LSB. Direct heritability estimates (h<sup>2</sup><sub>d</sub>) derived from Model 1 (including additive genetic, permanent environmental, and residual effects) were 0.13 ± 0.01 for LSB, 0.30 ± 0.04 for BW, 0.38 ± 0.01 for WW, and 0.30 ± 0.10 for ADG. Under Model 2 (which incorporated maternal genetic effects and their covariance with direct genetic effects), maternal heritability (h<sup>2</sup><sub>m</sub>) estimates for LSB, BW, WW, and ADG were 0.05 ± 0.01, 0.15 ± 0.01, 0.12 ± 0.01, and 0.14 ± 0.01, respectively. Overall, the results emphasize the importance of maternal genetic effects in influencing pre-weaning growth traits. Therefore, maternal genetic components should be explicitly considered in genetic evaluation and selection strategies aimed at improving early growth performance in Zaraibi goats.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-933X/5/2/27geneticparametersZaraibi goatsheritability |
| spellingShingle | Aya Esam Hemada Heba Abd El-Halim Ahmed Asmaa Zayed Mohamed Adel Salah Khattab Oludayo Michael Akinsola Thiruvenkadan Aranganoor Kannan Genetic Evaluation of Reproductive and Productive Traits in Zaraibi Goats Under Tropical Climatic Conditions Ruminants genetic parameters Zaraibi goats heritability |
| title | Genetic Evaluation of Reproductive and Productive Traits in Zaraibi Goats Under Tropical Climatic Conditions |
| title_full | Genetic Evaluation of Reproductive and Productive Traits in Zaraibi Goats Under Tropical Climatic Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Genetic Evaluation of Reproductive and Productive Traits in Zaraibi Goats Under Tropical Climatic Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genetic Evaluation of Reproductive and Productive Traits in Zaraibi Goats Under Tropical Climatic Conditions |
| title_short | Genetic Evaluation of Reproductive and Productive Traits in Zaraibi Goats Under Tropical Climatic Conditions |
| title_sort | genetic evaluation of reproductive and productive traits in zaraibi goats under tropical climatic conditions |
| topic | genetic parameters Zaraibi goats heritability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-933X/5/2/27 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ayaesamhemada geneticevaluationofreproductiveandproductivetraitsinzaraibigoatsundertropicalclimaticconditions AT hebaabdelhalimahmed geneticevaluationofreproductiveandproductivetraitsinzaraibigoatsundertropicalclimaticconditions AT asmaazayedmohamed geneticevaluationofreproductiveandproductivetraitsinzaraibigoatsundertropicalclimaticconditions AT adelsalahkhattab geneticevaluationofreproductiveandproductivetraitsinzaraibigoatsundertropicalclimaticconditions AT oludayomichaelakinsola geneticevaluationofreproductiveandproductivetraitsinzaraibigoatsundertropicalclimaticconditions AT thiruvenkadanaranganoorkannan geneticevaluationofreproductiveandproductivetraitsinzaraibigoatsundertropicalclimaticconditions |