Estimated breeding values and genetic trend for milk yield in Nili Ravi buffaloes

Abstract

Data on 263 pedigrees, breeding and performance records of 98 Nili-Ravi Buffaloes maintained at Livestock Experiment Station, Bahadurnagar, Okara, Punjab, Pakistan during the period 1991 to 2002 were utilized in this study to identify the high yielding elite buffaloes/bull mothers (dams) to retain for further breeding for the on going progeny testing program in the country. The lactation records up to 6th parity were used for the analysis. The data were analyzed through Best Linear Unbiased Predictions (BLUP) procedure. The breeding values were estimated by using Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) procedure fitting Individual Animal Model. The least squares mean for lactation milk yield was 2462.92 ± 195.93 kg. The average lactation length was 340.57 ± 61.70 days. Out of 98 buffaloes, 48 had positive breeding values (EBVs+). Within these 48 buffaloes (EBVs+), 16 were declared as elite buffaloes. The estimated breeding values for milk yield from animal model evaluations ranged from –922 to +2954 kg. The over all genetic trend for milk yield was found positive.

Keywords

• Animal model, Estimated breeding values, Milk yield, Nili-Ravi buffaloes