Efficacité économique des programmes de sélection porcine Introduction.docVIP

The pedigree index for milk has also been combined with the growth rate index. The the combined index is to enable a simultaneous selection of young AI bulls to be made purpose of for these two traits. The value of the combined index as a tool for the selection of performance-tested young bulls is dependent on the efficiency of the prior pedigree selection for milk production. combined index was calculated on 62 index for milk production had, in this material, a greater influence on the value of the combined index, than the index for growth rate. In both materials used, the bulls showed considerable variation in The findings indicate that a combined index should be used for the service. A OF HERD PRODUCTION Brigitta DANELL. Depavtement of Animal Breeding, Agricitltztral College S-750 07 Uppsala 7, Sweden. According to several authors, the genetic variation is greater at a higher level of production than at a lower. Breeding values estimated at a higher production level may therefore differ from those estimated at a lower level. This difference may in turn affect the ranking of the sires From the linear moder Ys3x if their daughters are distributed at various production levels. Sz !- hs -f- + (hs)sf + ejlk, where the different genetic variation is represented by the interac- = tion term, it is possible to calculate how great the difference in herd level between two groups of daughters will have to be in order to affect the ranking. When the daughters are randomly distributed among herds, the differences in herd production level between sires are too small to affect the ranking. Under Swedish conditions this is the case within the AI studs. However, the test bulls are not used outside their own AI stud and as there are geographical differences in production levels, the fact that the genetic variation is higher at a higher production level may affect the comparison of bulls from different studs. SOME PROBLEMS IN DETERMINATION OF BU