Genetic parameters for lactation traits of milking ewes: protein content and composition, fat, somatic cells and individual laboratory cheese yield.
The effects of some environmental variation factors and the genetic parameters for total milk traits (fat content, protein content, casein content, serum protein content, lactation mean of individual laboratory cheese yield (LILCY), lactation mean of somatic cell count (LSCC), and milk yield) were estimated from the records of 1,111 Churra ewes. Genetic parameters were estimated by multivariate REML. Heritability for fat content was low (0.10) as is usually found in the Churra breed. Heritabilities for protein content, casein content, serum protein content, LILCY, milk yield and somatic cell count were 0.31, 0.30, 0.22, 0.09, 0.26 and 0.11, respectively. The highest heritability estimates were for protein and casein contents. Casein content is not advisable as an alternative to protein content as a selection criterion for cheese yield improvement; it does not have any compelling advantages and its measurement is costly. Our results for LSCC indicated that efforts should focus on improving the level of management rather than selecting for somatic cells, in the actual conditions of the Churra breed.
Othmane
Med Houcine
MH
Departamento de Producción Animal I, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain.
Carriedo
Juan Antonio
JA
San Primitivo
Fermin
F
De La Fuente
Luis Fernando
LF
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002364:Caseins / Q000032:analysis; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis; D005223:Fats / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation / Q000235:genetics*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012756:Sheep / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
D002364:Caseins; D005223:Fats; D008894:Milk Proteins