Heritability, Genetic and Phenotypic Correlations of Type, Certain Components of Type, and Production of Brown Swiss Cattle

Abstract

The heritabilities of final type and 8 components of type were estimated by doubling the intra-sire regression of daughter''s single type score on dam''s single type score from 3161 daughter-dam comparisons by 294 sires. Heritability estimates were: General appearance .33, dairy character .30, body capacity .23, rump .36, feet and legs .19, mammary system .23, fore udder .28, rear udder .35, and final type .35. The various genetic correlations between the components of type were positive and relatively large, indicating that positive selection can be made for these components of type simultaneously. The genetic correlation between final type and butterfat production was .24, indicating that selection on the basis of type alone should automatically bring about some genetic improvement in production. However, selection on type alone would require approximately 4 generations to obtain the genetic improvement in butterfat production that could be expected in one generation of selection on butterfat production alone.