title: Genetic parameters between feed-intake-related traits and conformation in 2 separate dairy populations--the Netherlands and United States.
abstract: To include feed-intake-related traits in the breeding goal, accurate estimates of genetic parameters of feed intake, and its correlations with other related traits (i.e., production, conformation) are required to compare different options. However, the correlations between feed intake and conformation traits can vary depending on the population. Therefore, the objective was to estimate genetic correlations between 6 feed-intake-related traits and 7 conformation traits within dairy cattle from 2 countries, the Netherlands (NL) and the United States (US). The feed-intake-related traits were dry matter intake (DMI), residual feed intake (RFI), milk energy output (MilkE), milk yield (MY), body weight (BW), and metabolic body weight (MBW). The conformation traits were stature (ST), chest width (CW), body depth (BD), angularity (ANG), rump angle (RA), rump width (RW), and body condition score (BCS). Feed intake data were available for 1,665 cows in NL and for 1,920 cows in US, from 83 nutritional experiments (48 in NL and 35 in US) conducted between 1991 and 2011 in NL and between 2007 and 2013 in US. Additional conformation records from relatives of the animals with DMI records were added to the database, giving a total of 37,241 cows in NL and 28,809 in US with conformation trait information. Genetic parameters were estimated using bivariate animal model analyses. The model included the following fixed effects for feed-intake-related traits: location by experiment-ration, age of cow at calving modeled with a second order polynomial by parity class, location by year-season, and days in milk, and these fixed effects for the conformation traits: herd by classification date, age of cow at classification, and lactation stage at classification. Both models included additive genetic and residual random effects. The highest estimated genetic correlations involving DMI were with CW in both countries (NL=0.45 and US=0.61), followed by ST (NL=0.33 and US=0.57), BD (NL=0.26 and US=0.49), and BCS (NL=0.24 and US=0.46). The MilkE and MY were moderately correlated with ANG in both countries (0.33 and 0.47 in NL, and 0.36 and 0.48 in US). Finally, BW was highly correlated with CW (0.77 in NL and 0.84 in US) and with BCS (0.83 in NL and 0.85 in US). Feed-intake-related traits were moderately to highly genetically correlated with conformation traits (ST, CW, BD, and BCS) in both countries, making them potentially useful as predictors of DMI.
authors.affiliation: Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre, Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands; Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands; Mococha Research Station, National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research, 97454 Mococha, Yucatan, Mexico. Electronic address: coralia.manzanillapech@wur.nl.
authors.forename: C I V
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Manzanilla-Pech
authors.affiliation: Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre, Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands; Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Veerkamp
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Tempelman
authors.affiliation: Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre, Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands; CRV BV, Animal Evaluation Unit, PO Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: van Pelt
authors.affiliation: Department of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Weigel
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: VandeHaar
authors.affiliation: Holstein Association, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lawlor
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames 50011.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Spurlock
authors.affiliation: Department of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Armentano
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Staples
authors.affiliation: Department of Dairy Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg 24061.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hanigan
authors.affiliation: Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre, Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: De Haas
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000235:genetics*; D001835:Body Weight; D001947:Breeding; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating / Q000235:genetics*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008892:Milk / Q000378:metabolism*; D009426:Netherlands; D010298:Parity; D010641:Phenotype; D011247:Pregnancy; D014481:United States
keywords: conformation trait; feed intake; genetic correlation