Wanjala George, Kichamu Nelly, Cziszter Ludovic Toma, Astuti Putri Kusuma, Kusza Szilvia
Centre for Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology, H-4032 Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Böszörményi út 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Jan 15;13(2):300. doi: 10.3390/ani13020300.
This comparative study aimed to evaluate genetic and environmental factors’ effects on the growth traits of lambs in Dorper and Red Maasai (RedM) sheep breeds. The data analyzed contained the following measurements: birth weight (Bwt), weaning weight (Wwt), yearling weight (Ywt), birth type (single or twins), and details on each lamb’s dam (dam ID and age) and sire. Except for the RedM, whose birth weight decreased with time, both breeds generally showed an increase in other growth weights across the study period, with yearly variations affecting both breeds. Additionally, analysis by a linear mixed model with restricted maximum likelihood (REML) showed that only breed as a factor significantly (p < 0.05) influenced birth weight; breed, sex, and birth type all significantly (p < 0.05) influenced weaning weight, whereas season, sex, and dam age significantly (p < 0.05) influenced yearling weight. The RedM breed outperformed the Dorper breed in post-weaning growth rate, demonstrating early resilience and adaptation to local environmental factors independent of maternal influence. Breed and non-genetic factors play a vital role in the growth of lambs, and the results of this study offer an opportunity for improved farm management under an extensive production system and selection for the conservation of the indigenous Red Maasai breed.
这项比较研究旨在评估遗传和环境因素对杜泊羊和红马赛（RedM）绵羊品种羔羊生长性状的影响。所分析的数据包含以下测量值：出生体重（Bwt）、断奶体重（Wwt）、周岁体重（Ywt）、出生类型（单胎或双胎），以及每只羔羊的母羊（母羊ID和年龄）和公羊的详细信息。除了红马赛羊出生体重随时间下降外，在整个研究期间，两个品种的其他生长体重总体上都呈上升趋势，且年度变化对两个品种都有影响。此外，采用限制最大似然法（REML）的线性混合模型分析表明，只有品种这一因素对出生体重有显著影响（p < 0.05）；品种、性别和出生类型对断奶体重均有显著影响（p < 0.05），而季节、性别和母羊年龄对周岁体重有显著影响（p < 0.05）。红马赛羊品种在断奶后生长速度方面优于杜泊羊品种，表明其具有早期恢复力且能独立于母体影响适应当地环境因素。品种和非遗传因素在羔羊生长中起着至关重要的作用，本研究结果为在粗放生产系统下改善农场管理以及为保护本土红马赛羊品种进行选育提供了契机。
