Data consisting of 2,440 first lactations of Gyr cows calving between 1990 and 2005 were used to estimate genetic parameters of monthly test-day milk yield (TDMY). Records were analyzed by random regression models (MRA) that included the additive genetic and permanent environmental random effects and the contemporary group, age of cow at calving (linear and quadratic components) and the average trend of the population as fixed effects. Random trajectories were fitted by Wilmink’s (WIL) and Ali & Schaeffer’s (AS) parametric […]

Fourteen random regression models were used to adjust 86,595 test-day milk records of 2,155 first lactation of native Caracu cows. The models include fixed effects of contemporary group and age of cow as covariable. A cubic regression on Legendre orthogonal polynomial of days in milk was used to model the mean trend and the additive genetic and permanent environmental regressions. Different structures of residual variances were tried and considered through homogeneous variances or heterogeneous variances, modeled as a step function […]

Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimates of additive and residual variances and covariances for birth weight and adjusted weights at 120, 205, 240, 365, 420 e 550 days of age were used to estimate growth covariance functions (CFs) of Tabapuã beef calves. Data were observed on 41,415 animals born from 1975 to 1997 and raised under pasture conditions. Estimation of CFs is a very useful tool to analyze beef cattle growth. It was possible to estimate covariance between any pair of […]

Genetic parameters for days to calving were estimated using a random regression model, with orthogonal polynomials of age at breeding season (in years) as covariable. The records of days to calving (4,118) came from 929 cows from three experimental Nelore herds, been the selection and traditional herds selected for higher yearling weight and the control herd selected for the mean of yearling weight. Genetic and permanent environmental variances were described by a fourth order polynomial function, with 9 measures of […]