Estimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of Holstein cattle in the Republic of Serbia

The gestation length in cows and the birth weight of calves significantly influence the course and difficulty of parturition in dairy cows, thereby having a considerable impact on the economic efficiency of cattle production. The aim of the study was to determine the phenotypic variability and herit...

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Main Authors: Stanojević Dragan Ž., Đedović Radica R., Bogdanović Vladan T., Zeljić-Stojiljković Krstina R., Gligović Nikolija N., Beskorovajni Radmila B., Kučević Denis S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Belgrade - Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Agricultural Sciences (Belgrade)
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Online Access:https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/1450-8109/2025/1450-81092501051S.pdf
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author Stanojević Dragan Ž.
Đedović Radica R.
Bogdanović Vladan T.
Zeljić-Stojiljković Krstina R.
Gligović Nikolija N.
Beskorovajni Radmila B.
Kučević Denis S.
author_facet Stanojević Dragan Ž.
Đedović Radica R.
Bogdanović Vladan T.
Zeljić-Stojiljković Krstina R.
Gligović Nikolija N.
Beskorovajni Radmila B.
Kučević Denis S.
author_sort Stanojević Dragan Ž.
collection DOAJ
description The gestation length in cows and the birth weight of calves significantly influence the course and difficulty of parturition in dairy cows, thereby having a considerable impact on the economic efficiency of cattle production. The aim of the study was to determine the phenotypic variability and heritability coefficients of these traits, as well as the potential for selection for these traits in the dairy cattle population in the Republic of Serbia. The research included 1,348 HolsteinFriesian cows, which calved 4,247 times between 2007 and 2016 on a farm near Belgrade. The significance of the factors was analyzed using the GLM procedure of the SAS statistical package. The variance components were calculated using the REML methodology within the VARCOMP procedure of the SAS statistical package (version 9.4). The average gestation length in the studied population was 278.5 days, while the average birth weight of the calves was 37.1 kg. The study showed a high statistical significance of parity, year, calving season, and calf sex for both traits, except for the effect of calving season on calf birth weight, where the season had a statistically significant effect. Gestation length showed a low heritability (0.018), whereas the heritability coefficient for birth weight was determined to be 0.355.
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spelling doaj-art-41348e3934d14a6ba1f036554e1afdf12025-08-20T02:58:26ZengUniversity of Belgrade - Faculty of Agriculture, BelgradeJournal of Agricultural Sciences (Belgrade)1450-81092406-09682025-01-01701515910.2298/JAS2501051S1450-81092501051SEstimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of Holstein cattle in the Republic of SerbiaStanojević Dragan Ž.0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0793-0107Đedović Radica R.1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0779-0282Bogdanović Vladan T.2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8345-1258Zeljić-Stojiljković Krstina R.3Gligović Nikolija N.4Beskorovajni Radmila B.5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9549-790XKučević Denis S.6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1932-7156Univerzitet u Beogradu, Poljoprivredni fakultet, Institut za zootehniku, Beograd, SerbiaUniverzitet u Beogradu, Poljoprivredni fakultet, Institut za zootehniku, Beograd, SerbiaUniverzitet u Beogradu, Poljoprivredni fakultet, Institut za zootehniku, Beograd, SerbiaUniverzitet u Beogradu, Poljoprivredni fakultet, Institut za zootehniku, Beograd, SerbiaUniverzitet u Beogradu, Poljoprivredni fakultet, Institut za zootehniku, Beograd, SerbiaInstitut za primenu nauke u poljoprivredi, Beograd, SerbiaUniverzitet u Novom Sadu, Poljoprivredni fakultet, Departman za stočarstvo, Novi Sad, SerbiaThe gestation length in cows and the birth weight of calves significantly influence the course and difficulty of parturition in dairy cows, thereby having a considerable impact on the economic efficiency of cattle production. The aim of the study was to determine the phenotypic variability and heritability coefficients of these traits, as well as the potential for selection for these traits in the dairy cattle population in the Republic of Serbia. The research included 1,348 HolsteinFriesian cows, which calved 4,247 times between 2007 and 2016 on a farm near Belgrade. The significance of the factors was analyzed using the GLM procedure of the SAS statistical package. The variance components were calculated using the REML methodology within the VARCOMP procedure of the SAS statistical package (version 9.4). The average gestation length in the studied population was 278.5 days, while the average birth weight of the calves was 37.1 kg. The study showed a high statistical significance of parity, year, calving season, and calf sex for both traits, except for the effect of calving season on calf birth weight, where the season had a statistically significant effect. Gestation length showed a low heritability (0.018), whereas the heritability coefficient for birth weight was determined to be 0.355.https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/1450-8109/2025/1450-81092501051S.pdfheritabilitycalf birth weightgestation lengthholstein breed
spellingShingle Stanojević Dragan Ž.
Đedović Radica R.
Bogdanović Vladan T.
Zeljić-Stojiljković Krstina R.
Gligović Nikolija N.
Beskorovajni Radmila B.
Kučević Denis S.
Estimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of Holstein cattle in the Republic of Serbia
Journal of Agricultural Sciences (Belgrade)
heritability
calf birth weight
gestation length
holstein breed
title Estimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of Holstein cattle in the Republic of Serbia
title_full Estimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of Holstein cattle in the Republic of Serbia
title_fullStr Estimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of Holstein cattle in the Republic of Serbia
title_full_unstemmed Estimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of Holstein cattle in the Republic of Serbia
title_short Estimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of Holstein cattle in the Republic of Serbia
title_sort estimation of heritability coefficients for gestation length and calf birth weight in the population of holstein cattle in the republic of serbia
topic heritability
calf birth weight
gestation length
holstein breed
url https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/1450-8109/2025/1450-81092501051S.pdf
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