Boonkum Wuttigrai, Wiangnak Supawan, Chankitisakul Vibuntita
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kean University, Khon Kean 40002, Thailand.
Network Center for Animal Breeding and Omics Research, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jul 18;15(14):2130. doi: 10.3390/ani15142130.
In this study, we evaluated genetic parameters and progress in growth traits and heat tolerance across four Thai native synthetic chicken lines-Kaimook e-san, Soi Pet, Soi Nin, and Kaen Thong-over seven generations. Growth traits, including body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), and breast circumference (BrC), were recorded and analyzed from hatching to 14 weeks of age, with heat stress assessed based on the temperature-humidity index (THI). Genetic parameters were estimated using a multi-trait animal model incorporating THI thresholds. Significant differences in growth traits were observed among the lines ( < 0.05). Kaimook e-san consistently exhibited superior performance, with males outperforming females, while Kaen Thong showed the lowest performance across all traits. Heritability estimates declined with age, with higher values observed in early growth stages, indicating stronger genetic influence during early development. Strong negative genetic correlations between heat tolerance and growth traits were observed in Kaimook e-san, while Kaen Thong showed weaker correlations, suggesting greater potential for simultaneous improvement in growth and heat tolerance. All lines demonstrated genetic progress in growth traits across generations, with Kaimook e-san achieving the highest gains, although these were accompanied by a decline in heat tolerance. The findings highlight the trade-offs between growth and thermal resilience and underscore the importance of multi-trait selection strategies for sustainable poultry breeding in tropical environments.
在本研究中，我们评估了泰国四个本地合成鸡品系——开莫克伊桑、索伊佩特、索伊宁和肯通——在七代中的生长性状和耐热性的遗传参数及进展。记录并分析了从孵化到14周龄的生长性状，包括体重（BW）、平均日增重（ADG）和胸围（BrC），并根据温湿度指数（THI）评估热应激。使用纳入THI阈值的多性状动物模型估计遗传参数。品系间生长性状存在显著差异（<0.05）。开莫克伊桑始终表现出优异的性能，雄性优于雌性，而肯通在所有性状上表现最差。遗传力估计值随年龄下降，在早期生长阶段观察到较高的值，表明早期发育期间遗传影响更强。在开莫克伊桑中观察到耐热性与生长性状之间存在强烈的负遗传相关性，而肯通的相关性较弱，这表明在生长和耐热性方面同时改善的潜力更大。所有品系在各代生长性状上均表现出遗传进展，开莫克伊桑取得了最高的增益，尽管这些增益伴随着耐热性的下降。研究结果突出了生长与热适应能力之间的权衡，并强调了多性状选择策略对热带环境中可持续家禽育种的重要性。
