Estimating crossbreeding parameters when two breeds utilize common breeding animals.docVIP

Three alternative procedures for analyzing crossbreeding experiments in pigs - an indirect - method, least squares, and maximum likelihood results from a German Federal Crossbreeding Experiment. The results are : were compared as applied to two years test i. Estimates of error mean squares obtained in the least squares analysis were about 5- , 2. Standard errors of estimates of cross effects obtained from direct procedures (LS, ML) .3 Correlations between rankings of crosses in two years were slightly higher for carcass or maximum likelihood constants were used instead of cons- tants from the indirect method but this was not true for days fattened. .Correlations 4 between rankings of crosses under alternative procedures within each year are rather high (r ! .90) for carcass traits, but not for fattening traits. .5 Least squares and minimum likelihood methods rank crosses with similar precision. 6. In the future comparisons of crosses in pigs should be made under a variety of practical attainable in bull progeny op testing for traits like calving difficulty as the following parameters were varied : size, and a and the probabilities of two kinds of erroneous conclusion. The results showed that, in all circumstances, a progeny gave a good compromise between cost and precision. There was little to choose between testing based on calvings in heifers and in cows. As the basic frequency increases, more progeny are required for a given degree of precision. Thus testing is more expensive in breeds with high rates of difficult calving than in those with low rates. ESTIMATING CROSSBREEDING PARAMETERS WHEN TWO BREEDS UTILIZE COMMON BREEDING ANIMALS Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Agricultural University of Norway, Semen from elite-bulls of Swedish Red (SRB) and of Norwegian Red (NRF) breeds has for some times been exchanged. The elite-bulls are the sires of the next generation of young bulls. bulls used within one