title: A pilot study of the genetic variation of phosphorus utilization in young Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).
abstract: This study estimated the genetic variance components of P utilization in Japanese quail. A parental generation was assembled from an unselected random-bred Japanese fattening quail line. Seven sires and 14 dams were randomly selected, and each sire was paired with 2 dams to produce full and half sibs. A total of 200 unsexed 1-d-old quail with known pedigree were wing-banded and raised during the first 4 d posthatch in groups in floor pens on wood shavings and fed a preexperimental diet that was adequate in all nutrients. Starting on d 5, quail were individually housed in metabolic compartments on P-free filter paper. This started a balance trial with 5 d of adaption and 5 d of total excreta collection. During this balance period, all quail were fed a low-P (3.9 g/kg of DM) corn-soybean meal-based diet with a Ca:P ratio of 1.6:1.0. Phosphorus and Ca utilization were determined individually using the difference in P or Ca intake and the total P or Ca excretion. The average P utilization was 72% and the average Ca utilization was 63%, each with very high variation. Heritabilities were estimated to be 0.09 (SE = 0.09) for P utilization and 0.09 (SE = 0.09) for Ca utilization. Heritabilities were close to the values reported in the literature for broilers and suggest that quail are suitable as a model animal. The SE of the heritability estimates were large. This implies that further studies with a larger sample size are needed to identify genetic and physiological mechanisms that influence P and Ca utilization in Japanese quail.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tierernährung, Universität Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany Institut für Tierhaltung und Tierzüchtung, Universität Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tierernährung, Universität Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodehutscord
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tierhaltung und Tierzüchtung, Universität Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bennewitz
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tierhaltung und Tierzüchtung, Universität Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany werner.bessei@uni-hohenheim.de.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bessei
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000378:metabolism*; D003370:Coturnix / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008297:Male; D016226:Phosphorus, Dietary / Q000378:metabolism*; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D016226:Phosphorus, Dietary
keywords: Japanese quail; genetic variation; heritability; model animal; phosphorus