Genetic analysis of some productive and reproductive traits in New Zealand White rabbits

Abstract

A total of 625 progenies of New Zealand White rabbits, kept at Sakha Experimental Rabbits, Kafr-El-Sheikh, Government, belonging to Animal production Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt, during 2010-2017 were used to estimate the genetic parameters and phenotypic and genetic trends for some reproductive and productive traits. Traits studied were litter size at birth (LSB), litter weight at birth (LWB), kit body weight for four weeks (BW1), body weight for 6 weeks (BW2), body weight for 8 weeks (BW3), and marketing weight (BW4). Data were analyzed by using a multivariate animal model. Direct heritability estimates were 0.05, 0.20, 0.23, 0.24, 0.31 and 0.34 for LSB, LWB, BW1, BW2, BW3 and BW4, respectively. All phenotypic and genetic correlations among traits studied were positive and ranged from 0.21 to 0.90 for phenotypic correlations and from 0.04 to 0.78 for genetic correlations. Annual phenotypic changes for LSB, LWB, BW1, BW2, BW3, and BW4 were positive and equal to 0.06, 15.96 g, 18.70 g, 23.15 g, 27.72 g, and 50.69 g, respectively. Also, genetic changes for LSB, LWB, BW4, BW6, BW8, and MW were 0.20, 12.50 g, 14.20 g, 16.25 g, 20.09, and 40.10 g, respectively. The moderate estimates of heritability for body weights confirmed that improvement of these traits can be achieved by genetic selection. Also, positive and significant phenotypic and genetic trends for all traits studied indicated that selection for economic traits is very useful to increase the reproductive and productive performance of rabbits.