REML estimates of variance and covariance components for production traits in Australian Merino sheep, using an animal model 1. Body weight from birth to 22 months

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research

Volumn 47, Issue 8, 1996, Pages 1235-1249

  Vaez Torshizi, R ^a,b   Nicholas, F W ^a,b   Raadsma, H W ^a,b  

^a Ctr for Sheep Res and Extension

^b UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY   (Australia)

Author keywords

Body weight performances; Genetic parameters; Maternal effects

Indexed keywords

ANIMALIA; OVIS ARIES;

EID: 0030442599     PISSN: 00049409     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1071/ar9961235     Document Type: Article

References (34)

1. Baker, R. L. (1980). The role of maternal effects on the efficiency of selection in beef cattle: a review. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 40, 285-303.
2. Brash, L. D., Fogarty, N. M., and Gilmour, A R. (1994a). Genetic parameters for Australian maternal and dual-purpose meatsheep breeds. II. Liveweight, wool and reproduction in Corriedale sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 45, 469-80.
3. Brash, L. D., Fogarty, N. M., and Gilmour, A. R. (1994b). Genetic parameters for Australian maternal and dual-purpose meatsheep breeds. III. Liveweight, fat depth and wool production in Coopworth sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 45, 481-6.
4. Davis, G. P., and Kinghorn, B. P. (1986). Genetic and phenotypic parameters for growth, wool production and reproduction traits in a line of Merino sheep. Proceedings of the 3rd World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production 11, 145-50.
5. Falconer, D. S. (1989). 'Introduction to Quantitative Genetics.' 3rd Edn. (Longman: London.)
6. Gerstmayr, S. (1992). Impact of the data structure on the reliability of the estimated genetic parameters in an animal model with maternal effects. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 109, 321-36.
7. Graser H-U., Smith, S. P., and Tier, B. (1987). A derivative-free approach for estimating variance components in animal models by Restricted Maximum Likelihood. Journal of Animal Science 64, 1362-70.
8. Haile-Mariam, M., and Kassa-Mersha, H. (1995). Estimates of direct and maternal (co)variance components of growth traits in Boran cattle. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 112, 43-52.
9. Hayes, J. F., and Hill, W. G. (1981). Modification of estimates of parameters in the construction of genetic selection indices (bending). Biometrics 37, 483-93.
10. Henderson, C. R. (1953). Estimation of variance and covariance components. Biometrics 9, 226-52.
11. Henderson, C. R. (1984). 'Application of Linear Models in Animal Breeding.' (University of Guelph: Guelph, Ontario.)
12. Hickson, J. D., Swan, A. A., Kinghorn, B. P., and Piper, L. R. (1995). Maternal effects at different ages in Merino sheep. Proceedings of the Australian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics 11, 416-20.
13. Lewer, R. P., Woolaston, R. R., and Howe, R. R. (1994). Studies on Western Australian Merino sheep. II. Genetic and phenotypic parameter estimates for objectively measured traits on ram and ewe hoggets using different model types. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 45, 829-40.
14. Maria, G. A., Boldman, K. G., and Van Vleck, L. D. (1993). Estimates of variances due to direct and maternal effects for growth traits of Romanov sheep. Journal of Animal Science 71, 845-9.
15. Meyer, K. (1989). Restricted Maximum Likelihood to estimate variance components for animal models with several random effects using a derivative-free algorithm. Genetics Selection Evolution 21, 317-40.
16. Meyer, K. (1991a). Estimating variances and covariances for multivariate Animal Models with Restricted Maximum Likelihood. Genetics Selection Evolution 23, 67-83.
17. Meyer, K. (1991b). 'DFREML. Version 2.0 - Programs to Estimate Variance Components by Restricted Maximum Likelihood using a Derivative-free Algorithm. User Notes.' (Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit, University of New England: Armidale, NSW.) Mimeo. 84 pp.
18. Meyer, K. (1992). Variance components due to direct and maternal effects for growth traits of Australian beef cattle. Livestock Production Science 31, 179-204.
19. Meyer, K. (1993). Covariance matrices for growth traits of Australian Polled Hereford cattle. Animal Production 57, 37-45.
20. Meyer, K. (1994). Estimates of direct and maternal correlations among growth traits in Australian beef cattle. Livestock Production Science 38, 91-105.
21. Mortimer, S. I., and Atkins, K. D. (1989). Genetic evaluation of production traits between and within flocks of Merino sheep. I. Hogget fleece weight, body weight and wool quality. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 40, 433-43.
22. Mortimer, S. I., and Atkins, K. D. (1994). Direct additive and maternal genetic effects on wool production of Merino sheep. Proceedings of the 5th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production 18, 103-6.
23. Mortimer, S. I., and Atkins, K. D. (1995). Maternal effects influence growth traits of Merino sheep. Proceedings of the Australian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics 11, 421-4.
24. Nasholm, A., and Danell, Ö. (1994). Maternal effects on lamb weights. Proceedings of the 5th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production 18, 163-6.
25. Patterson, H. D., and Thompson, R. (1971). Recovery of inter-block information when block sizes are unequal. Biometrika 58, 545-54.
26. Raadsma, H. W., and Nicholas, F. W. (1993). Description of genetic resource flock: the University of Sydney. In 'Merino Resource Flocks in Australia'. Proceedings of a National Workshop, Turretfield Research Centre, Rosedale, South Australia, 27-28 May 1993. (Eds R. W. Ponzoni and D. R. Gifford.) pp. 30-45. (Wool Research and Development Corporation: Melbourne/South Australian Research and Development Institute: Adelaide.)
27. Raadsma, H. W., Egerton, J. R., Wood, D., Kristo, C., and Nicholas, F. W. (1994). Disease resistance in Merino sheep. III. Genetic variation in resistance to footrot following challenge and subsequent vaccination with an homologous rDNA pilus vaccine under both induced and natural conditions. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 111, 367-90.
28. Searle, S. R., Casella, G., and McCulloch, C. E. (1993). 'Variance Components.' (John Wiley & Sons: New York.)
29. Swan, A. A., and Hickson, J. D. (1994) Maternal effects in Australian Merinos. Proceedings of the 5th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production 18, 143-6.
30. Tosh, J. J., and Kemp, R. A. (1994). Estimation of variance components for lamb weight in three sheep populations. Journal of Animal Science 72, 1184-90.
31. Vaez Torshizi, R., Raadsma, H. W., and Nicholas, F. W. (1995). An investigation of the potential for early (indirect) selection in Australian Merino sheep. Proceedings of the Australian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics 11, 314-17
32. Wewela, G. S., Anderson, R. D., and Rae, A. L. (1986). Maximum likelihood estimators of variance components for direct and maternal effects of weaning weights of Romney sheep. Proceedings of the 3rd World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production 11, 312-17.
33. van Wyk, J. B., Erasmus, G. J., and Kenstantinov, K. V. (1993). Variance component and heritability estimates of early growth traits in the Elsenburg Dormer sheep stud. South African Journal of Animal Science 23, 72-6.
34. van Wyk, J. B., Erasmus, G. J., and Ollivier, J. J. (1994). Variance component estimates and response to selection on BLUP of breeding values in Merino sheep. Proceedings of the 5th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production 18, 31-4.