Different selection practices affect the environmental sensitivity of beef cattle

PLoS One. 2021 Apr 2;16(4):e0248186. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248186. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different selection practices on the environmental sensitivity of reproductive and growth traits in males and females of three Nellore selection lines [control (NeC), selection (NeS), and traditional (NeT) lines]. Moreover, genetic trends for the intercept and slope were estimated for each line, and the possible reranking of sires was examined. A total of 8,757 records of selection weight (SW), 3,331 records of scrotal circumference (SC), and 2,311 records of days to first calving (DFC) from Nellore cattle born between 1981 and 2017 were analyzed. (Co)variance components and genetic parameters of all traits were estimated using a reaction norm model with Gibbs sampler. In all cattle lines, the mean heritability of the studied traits ranged from 0.39 to 0.75 for SW in both males and females, from 0.46 to 0.68 for SC, and from 0.06 to 0.57 for DFC along with the environmental descriptor. In all cattle lines, the genetic correlation coefficients between the intercept and slope ranged from 0.03 to 0.81 for SW, from -0.14 to 0.39 for SC, and from -0.87 to -0.42 for DFC. Genetic trends for the slope and proportion of plastic genotypes indicated that the NeS line was more responsive to environmental changes, whereas the NeC and NeT lines tended to respond more modestly. Reranking of sires was observed for all traits, specifically in the NeC and NeT lines, because of the weak correlation between the opposite extreme environments. In the NeS line, reranking of sires was observed for DFC alone. Our results indicate that the effects of genotype-environment interaction are important and should be considered in genetic evaluations of Nellore cattle. Moreover, different selection practices affected the environmental sensitivity of the Nellore selection lines tested in this study.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle / genetics
  • Cattle / growth & development*
  • Female
  • Gene-Environment Interaction
  • Genotype
  • Male
  • Phenotype
  • Reproduction

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, Brazil, grant number #2016/17517-4 and #2019/01814-8), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES Brazil, Finance Code 001) for the fellowship awarded to AdPF. This work was also supported in the form of grants by productivity research fellowship from National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) awarded to CCPdP (#303972-2018-1), MLSJ (#301918/2017-1), and MEZM (#301918/2017-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.