Estimation of Heritability and Genetic Correlation Using Cross-Correlation Method in Anatolian Buffaloes Raised in İstanbul Province (Atena Editora)

Abstract

In animal breeding, increasing yields fundamentally requires the improvement of environmental factors and the selection of genetically superior animals. If the environmental conditions deteriorate, the yield increase will not be sustainable due to management and nutrition only. Sustainable improvement of yields depends on selecting animals with high genetic breeding values and allowing them to reproduce. However, an accurate estimation of breeding values needs to know some genetic parameters such as heritability and genetic correlation for the trait of interest. Methods used for estimating these parameters include parent-offspring correlation and regression, half-sib correlation, maximum likelihood, REML, GWAS, among others. The methods are necessary for pedigree information except for parent-offspring correlation and regression. Obtaining pedigree information, however, is not always possible in extensive farming conditions, whereas data on parents and offspring are more accessible. The aim of this study is to introduce the cross-correlation method based on parent-offspring correlation and demonstrate how genetic correlation coefficient and heritability are calculated using this method. Heritabilities were found 0.39 for birth weight, 0.12 for six-month weight, and 0.08 for yearling weight. The genetic correlations between birth and sixth-month, birth and yearling, sixth-month and yeraling weights were positive 0.07, 0.25, and 0.67 respectively. To increase success in breeding programs, preferring the most appropriate model and calculations may be useful for estimating the genetic parameters of traits, for revealing the relationships among traits, and calculating the breeding values of individuals through these results.