Authors : Dogan Narinc, Tulin Aksoy and Emre Karaman
Abstract: This study was carried out to estimate heritabilities of growth curve parameters, weekly body weights and genetic-phenotypic correlations among the traits of growth in Japanese quail. Body weight data taken from hatching to 6 weeks of age of approximately 500 quails of both sexes from 40 sires and 120 dams were utilized to estimate genetic parameters. Restricted maximum likelihood estimation was applied for variance-covariance structures of a multiple trait pooled (sire and dam) components model using SAS PROC MIXED and SAS/IML. Growth curves for individual quail were fitted using the Gompertz model. Mean and heritability estimates of Gompertz model parameters β0, β1, β2 were 227.57, 3.44, 0.084 and 0.42, 0.21, 0.40, respectively. Heritability estimates of weekly live weights ranged from 0.42-0.62. Means and heritabilities for weight and age at the inflection point were estimated as 83.72, 15.23 and 0.36, 0.08 g, respectively. All genetic correlations were higher than phenotypic correlations. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between the growth curve parameters were relatively high and negative with one exception. The only positive correlation was between β1 and β2. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between the parameter β0 and body weights were positive and moderate to high. The genetic and phenotypic correlation estimates of parameter β2 among weekly body weights were generally negative.
Dogan Narinc, Tulin Aksoy and Emre Karaman, 2010. Genetic Parameters of Growth Curve Parameters and Weekly Body Weights in Japanese Quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 9: 501-507.