A Genetic Study of Pubertal Age, Litter Traits, Weight Loss during Lactation and Relations to Growth and Leanness in Gilts

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Abstract
Multivariate REML analysis was used to treat the results of a selection experiment for lean tissue growth rate that included 393 purebred Swedish Yorkshire gilts. Heritabilities were estimated to be 0.51, 0.33, 0.45 and 0.41 for pubertal age, litter size, mean piglet birth weight and weight loss during first lactation, respectively. There was a negative genetic correlation between pubertal age and growth rate and a positive one between pubertal age and leanness. The genetic correlation was positive between growth rate and piglet weight and negative between litter size and piglet weight. Age at puberty, litter size and piglet weight showed a positive genetic correlation with weight loss during lactation.