Heterosis from Crosses among British Breeds of Beef Cattle: Carcass Characteristics

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Abstract
Carcass data from 225 steers and 244 heifers from five calf crops were analyzed using least squares analysis to estimate the amount of heterosis from breed crosses. There was evidence of heterosis in those traits associated directly with growth, namely, carcass weight, area of the l. dor si and carcass length. Slight indications of heterosis were seen in some of the other traits, but they were not large enough to be of practical importance. These results support the conclusion of Kincaid (1962) that “carcass traits not directly related to growth show little evidence of heterosis.” Differences existed among breeds in maternal environment in some breed combinations for carcass weight, area of I. dor si, fat thickness and marbling score. Copyright © 1967. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1967 by American Society of Animal Science