This work studied the effects of age and weight on scrotal circumference (SC) of Nellore young breed bulls, and also estimated the SC correction factors (CF) for those effects. The information came from the Production Registry of the Paraguayan Nellore Breeders Association, obtained from 1986 to 1997 from 110 herds, totalling 7,458 observations. The regression coefficients that allowed the calculation of CF for SC were estimated by the least square methods. The model considered the contemporary group (animals born in […]

This paper evaluated the parameters of Gompertz nonlinear function to describe Guzera male and female growth curve, and their crossbreds (3/4Guzera – 1/4Brown Swiss, 1/2Nellore – 1/4Brown Swiss – 1/4Guzera, 1/2Brown Swiss – 1/2Guzera, 1/2Chianina – 1/4Brown Swiss – 1/4Guzera, 1/2Caracu – 1/2Guzera, 1/2Caracu – 1/4Brown Swiss – 1/4Guzera) submitted to three levels of supplementation: without supplementation, supplementation only during the dry season, and year-round supplementation. There were significant interactions between supplementation and breed, and breed and sex on mature […]

The adequacy of the recommendation of phosphorus for growing Nellore steers was evaluated by means of the weight gain, feed intake and feed:gain ratio during 250 days. Fifteen steers were fed a basal P-deficient but otherwise adequate in the other nutrients, enabling gains of 500 g/day. The diet was supplemented (treatment 1 = 15 g P/day, treatment 2 = 11 g P/day) or not (treatment 3 = 5 g P/day) with monoammonium phosphate. Phosphorus deficiency did not affect organic matter […]

Records from 17,796 Angus x Nellore cattle out of 50 Associated Herds from the “Program Nature”, in the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Tocantins were analyzed in order to estimate the effects of maternal and individual heterosis on the weight gain from birth to weaning. The used statistical model included the fixed effects of a general mean and contemporary groups, maternal and individual heterozygosity (covariables), random […]

ABSTRACT – The objective of this work was to evaluate seven non linear functions to describe Guzera male and female growth curves, and their crossbreds (3/4Guzera-1/4Brown Swiss, 1/2Nellore-1/4Brown Swiss-1/4Guzera, 1/2Guzera-1/2Brown Swiss, 1/2Chianina- 1/4Brown Swiss-1/4Guzera, 1/2Caracu-1/2Guzera, 1/2Caracu-1/4Brown Swiss-1/4Guzera) submitted to three levels of supplementation (without, during the dry period and the whole year), to analize and to select one function which presented lower regression deviation, lower residual sum of squares, higher coefficient of determination, lower variation among animal parameters, higher convergence […]

ABSTRACT – Daily dry matter intake (CPUPV), feed:gain ratio (CONV) and average daily gain (ADG) of 80 Charolais (Ch), Caracu (Ca) and reciprocal crossbred (ChCa and CaCh) males were analyzed. The ChCa and CaCh were generated by rotational Ch x Ca crossbreeding. All animals were fed in individual stalls for 76 to 97 day periods receiving corn silage ad libitum and a concentrate containing 17.8% CP and 79% TDN fed 1% LW/animal•day. The three traits were analyzed first as a […]

ABSTRACT – Estimates of variance, covariance and heritabilities (h2) for body weights at birth (y1), weaning (y2), 12 (y3), 18 (y4) and 24 (y5) months of age, and scrotal circumference at 12 months of age (y6) were obtained from three data sets of purebreed Canchim males and females, born from 1961 to 1969 in São Carlos, São Paulo State. The genetic parameters were obtained by means of univariate analysis by Henderson Method 3, Maximum Likelihood (ML), Restricted ML (REML), Iterative […]

With respect to beef cattle breeding, the emphasis devoted by researchers, beef cattle producers and beef cattle experts has been, in general, focused on identification, evaluation and selection of sires. Little attention has been given to the pathway used to spread the genes from such sires throughout the population as a whole. The reported low annual genetic progress observed in several herds might suggest that, in spite of having some success in promoting genetic improvement as observed in isolated herds, […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of genetic and non genetic factors on cow weight at calving (CWC) of Nellore and 1/2 Canchim + 1/2 Nellore cows, mated to Canchim (5/8 Charolais + 3/8 Zebu) and Charolais breed bulls, respectively, and also on the gestation length (GL) of their calves, and the weights (W) and ages (A) at first insemination (FI), conception (FCo), and calving (FC) of 1/2 Canchim + 1/2 Nellore heifers. The least squares […]

The objective of this work was to study the effect of genetic and non genetic factors on weights at birth (BW), weaning (WW), yearling (YW), 18 months (EW) and 24 months (TW) of age, and weight gains from birth to weaning (GBW), weaning to yearling (GWY), yearling to 18 months (GYE), and 18 to 24 months (GET) of age, of crossbred Canchim x Nellore animals, sired by Canchim (5/8 Charolais + 3/8 Zebu) bulls. The data were studied by the […]