Effects of inbreeding on production traits and genetic evaluations in Guzerá beef cattle raised under tropical conditions

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of inbreeding on growth traits and body measurements, as well as on the estimation of genetic parameters and genetic trends in Guzerá cattle. Phenotypic records of 4,212 animals selected for postweaning weight from Guzerá Breeding Program of Advanced Beef Cattle Research Center were utilized. The pedigree file contained records from 7,213 animals born from 1928 to 2019. The traits analyzed were: birth weight (BW), weights adjusted to 210, 378 and 550 days of age (W210, W378 and W550, respectively), chest girth at 378 and 550 days of age (CG378 and CG550), scrotal circumference (SC), and hip height at 378 and 550 days of age (HH378 and H550). Linear regression was used to evaluate the effects of inbreeding on traits. Genetic parameters were obtained using models including or not the effect of inbreeding as a covariate. Inbreeding had negative effects (P ≤ 0.01) on BW (-0.09 kg), W378 (-2.86 kg), W550 (-2.95 kg), HH378 (-0.10 cm), and H550 (-0.29 cm). The lowest and highest heritability estimates were obtained for W210 (0.21 ± 0.07) and HH550 (0.57 ± 0.06), respectively. The genetic correlations were strong and positive between all traits, ranging from 0.44 ± 0.08 (SC x HH) to 0.99 ± 0.01 (W378 x W550). Spearman correlations between EBVs obtained with or without inbreeding effect ranged from 0.968 to 0.995 (P < 0.01). The results indicate loss of productive performance in inbred animals. However, the inclusion of inbreeding coefficient in genetic evaluation models did not alter the magnitude of genetic parameters or genetic trends for the traits studied.