Wang Yaqian, Yang Hongyuan, Zhao Xiaoqi, Ni Xiaojun, Zhao Yuanchong, You Zhengrong, Lu Qingwei, Tang Sen, Quan Guobo, Fu Xuefeng
College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China.
Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Biotechnology, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China.
Animals (Basel). 2025 May 22;15(11):1512. doi: 10.3390/ani15111512.
With economic development and improved living standards, the demand for mutton and wool continues to grow, and improving the production performance and genetic potential of sheep breeds has become the key to promoting the high-quality development of the sheep industry. Thus, this study analyzes the influencing factors of the early production traits of Yunnan semi-fine wool sheep, optimizes the genetic evaluation model, and relies on accurate genetic parameter estimation to provide a theoretical basis for formulating a scientific and efficient breeding strategy for this breed. Data were collected from the Laishishan and Xiaohai breeding farms in Qiaojia, Yunnan, covering production records of the core flock from 2018 to 2022. Using the GLM procedure in SAS 9.4 software, this study analyzed the non-genetic influences on early production traits in Yunnan semi-fine wool sheep. Concurrently, Danish Milk Unit 5 (DMU 5) software estimated the variance components across various animal models for each trait. Employing the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and likelihood ratio test (LRT), six models were tested, incorporating or excluding maternal inheritance and environmental impacts, to identify the optimal model for deriving the genetic parameters. The results show that the birth year, dam age, sex, flock and litter size significantly affect both the Birth Weight (BWT) and Weaning Weight (WWT) ( < 0.01). Additionally, the birth month was found to exert a significant effect on Birth Weight (BWT) ( < 0.01), the weaning month has a significant effect on the Weaning Weight (WWT) ( < 0.05). No significant effects of farm location were observed on either trait ( > 0.05). The most accurate genetic evaluation model determined the heritability of the Birth Weight (BWT) and Weaning Weight (WWT) as 0.3123 and 0.3471. From a production perspective, improving lamb birth, Weaning Weight (WWT), feed composition, and maternal nutrition during gestation is vital for breeding efficiency. This study not only identified the optimal animal models for early growth traits in Yunnan semi-fine wool sheep, offering a precise basis for estimating genetic parameters but also provides theoretical guidance for genetic selection and breed improvement in this population.
随着经济发展和生活水平的提高，对羊肉和羊毛的需求持续增长，提高绵羊品种的生产性能和遗传潜力已成为推动绵羊产业高质量发展的关键。因此，本研究分析了云南半细毛羊早期生产性状的影响因素，优化了遗传评估模型，并依靠准确的遗传参数估计，为制定该品种科学高效的育种策略提供理论依据。数据收集自云南巧家的癞石山和小海养殖场，涵盖了2018年至2022年核心群体的生产记录。本研究使用SAS 9.4软件中的GLM程序，分析了非遗传因素对云南半细毛羊早期生产性状的影响。同时，丹麦奶牛单元5（DMU 5）软件估计了每个性状在各种动物模型中的方差分量。采用赤池信息准则（AIC）和似然比检验（LRT），对包含或排除母体遗传和环境影响的六个模型进行了测试，以确定用于推导遗传参数的最佳模型。结果表明，出生年份、母羊年龄、性别、群体和产羔数对出生体重（BWT）和断奶体重（WWT）均有显著影响（<0.01）。此外，发现出生月份对出生体重（BWT）有显著影响（<0.01），断奶月份对断奶体重（WWT）有显著影响（<0.05）。未观察到养殖场位置对这两个性状有显著影响（>0.05）。最准确的遗传评估模型确定出生体重（BWT）和断奶体重（WWT）的遗传力分别为0.3123和0.3471。从生产角度来看，提高羔羊出生重、断奶体重（WWT）、饲料组成以及妊娠期间的母体营养对育种效率至关重要。本研究不仅确定了云南半细毛羊早期生长性状的最佳动物模型，为估计遗传参数提供精确依据，还为该群体的遗传选择和品种改良提供了理论指导。
