Abstract

LONDONO-GIL, Marisol et al. Growth traits in Blanco Orejinegro creole cattle and environmental effects responsible for their variation. Acta Agron. [online]. 2022, vol.71, n.2, pp.171-177.  Epub June 06, 2023. ISSN 0120-2812.  https://doi.org/10.15446/acag.v71n2.99435.

The study of the traits involved in the growth and the environmental effects that are responsible for its variation in Blanco Orejinegro (BON) cattle is important to stimulate its breeding and prevent its extinction. The objectives of this work were to characterize the growth traits of BON cattle and to determine the influence of some environmental factors on these variables. Information from 3218, 2264, 496, 2287, 325 and 408 records was verified for birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and yearling weight (YW), average daily gain at weaning (ADG), time to reach 120 kg (T120) and time to reach 60 % of the adult weight (T60 %), respectively. ANOVAs were performed to determine the influence of the factors calving number (CN), sex, season, age at weighing and contemporary group (CG). The mean values were 31.8 kg, 201.9 kg, 230.5 kg, 0.645 kg/day, and 136.4 and 541.1 days, for BW, WW, YW, ADG, T120 and T60 %, respectively. The effects CN (except for T60 %), CG, sex and age at weighing were significant, but not the season. On average, animals born from cows with CN 1 or 7 were significantly lighter; the CG showed to be a source of important variation due to the interaction between sex-year-herd or herd-year. These results show that some environmental factors affect growth in the BON population and that this is a breed with good productive potential.

Keywords : environmental factors; phenotype; productivity; animal genetic resource; variability.

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