Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-vfjqv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-28T01:11:14.125Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetic trends of conformation traits and genetic correlations to osteochondrosis in boars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2014

T. Aasmundstad ,
E. Gjerlaug-Enger ,
E. Grindflek  and
O. Vangen
T. Aasmundstad*
Affiliation:
Department of Breeding, Norsvin, PO Box 504, 2305 Hamar, Norway Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
E. Gjerlaug-Enger
Affiliation:
Department of Breeding, Norsvin, PO Box 504, 2305 Hamar, Norway
E. Grindflek
Affiliation:
Department of Breeding, Norsvin, PO Box 504, 2305 Hamar, Norway
O. Vangen
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
*
†E-mail: Torunn.Aasmundstad@Norsvin.no
Get access

Abstract

The objective of our study was to investigate the heritabilities and genetic correlations between traits from a linear exterior assessment system and osteochondrosis (OC) measured by computed tomography (CT), and in addition, to study the genetic trend in a population where the conformation traits have been included in the breeding goal. The data material consisted of phenotypes from a total of 4571 Norsvin Landrace test boars. At the end of the test period, all boars were subjected to a detailed exterior assessment system. Within 10 days of the assessment, the boars were CT scanned for measuring OC. The total score of osteochondrosis (OCT), used in this study, is the sum of phenotypes from the assessment on the medial and lateral condyles at the distal end of both the humerus and the femur of the right and the left leg of the boar based on images from CT. The exterior assessment traits included in the study were; ‘front leg knee’ (FKNE), ‘front leg pasterns’ (FPAS), ‘front leg stance’ (FSTA), ‘front leg twisted pasterns’ (FFLK), ‘hind leg stance’, ‘hind leg pasterns’ (HPAS), ‘hind leg standing under’ (HSTU), ‘hind leg small inner toe’, ‘dipped back’, ‘arched back’ (ARCH) and ‘waddling hindquarters’ (WADL). The estimation of (co)variance components and breeding values were performed using bivariate animal genetic models. Breeding values for HSTU, HPAS, FPAS, WADL and OCT traits were additional outputs from the same bivariate analyses. The lowest heritability was found for FFLK (h2FFLK=0.05), whereas FPAS was estimated to have the highest heritability (h2FPAS=0.36), and OCT demonstrating a heritability of 0.29. Significant genetic correlations were found between several traits; the strongest correlation was between FSTA and FFLK (0.94), which was followed by the correlation between FPAS and FKNE (0.69). The traits ARCH and FSTA had significant genetic correlations to OCT, whereas all other genetic correlations between OCT and the conformation traits were low and not significantly different from 0. Our study shows positive genetic trends for the conformation traits included in the breeding goal. In general, low genetic correlations between conformation traits and OC were observed in our study.

Keywords

pigosteochondrosiscomputed tomographyconformation characteristicsgenetic components
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 8 , Issue 7 , July 2014 , pp. 1045 - 1052
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aasmundstad, T, Kongsro, J, Wetten, M, Dolvik, N and Vangen, O 2013. Osteochondrosis in pigs diagnosed with computed tomography: heritabilities and genetic correlations to weight gain in specific age intervals. Animal 7, 1576–1582.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bereskin, B 1979. Genetic aspects of feet and legs soundness in swine. Journal of Animal Science 48, 1322–1328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Koning, DB, van Grevenhof, EM, Laurenssen, BF, Ducro, BJ, Heuven, HC, de Groot, PN, Hazeleger, W, Kemp, B 2012. Associations between osteochondrosis and conformation and locomotive characteristics in pigs. Journal of Animal Science 90, 4752–4763.Google Scholar
Fan, B, Onteru, S, Nikkilä, M, Stalder, K and Rothschild, M 2009a. Identification of genetic markers associated with fatness and leg weakness traits in the pig. Animal genetics 40, 967–970.Google Scholar
Fan, B, Onteru, SK, Mote, BE, Serenius, T, Stalder, KJ and Rothschild, MF 2009b. Large-scale association study for structural soundness and leg locomotion traits in the pig. Genetics Selection Evolution 41, 1–9.Google Scholar
Fan, B, Onteru, SK, Du, Z-Q, Garrick, DJ, Stalder, KJ and Rothschild, MF 2011. Genome-wide association study identifies loci for body composition and structural soundness traits in pigs. PLoS ONE 6 (2), e14726.Google Scholar
Gjerlaug-Enger, E, Aass, L, Odegard, J and Vangen, O 2010. Genetic parameters of meat quality traits in two pig breeds measured by rapid methods. Animal 4, 1832–1843.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grindflek, E and Sehested, E 1996. Conformation and longevity in Norwegian pigs. In Proceedings of the Nordiska Jordbruksforskares Forening seminar 265–longevity of sows, pp. 77–83. Research Centre Foulum, Denmark.Google Scholar
Guo, Y, Ai, H, Ren, J, Wang, G, Wen, Y, Mao, H, Lan, L, Ma, J, Brenig, B and Rothschild, M 2009. A whole genome scan for quantitative trait loci for leg weakness and its related traits in a large F2 intercross population between White Duroc and Erhualian. Journal of Animal Science 87, 1569–1575.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holl, JW, Rohrer, GA, Shackelford, SD, Wheeler, TL and Koohmaraie, M 2008. Estimates of genetic parameters for kyphosis in two crossbred swine populations. Journal of Animal Science 86, 1765–1769.Google Scholar
Jørgensen, B and Vestergaard, T 1990. Genetics of leg weakness in boars at the Danish pig breeding stations. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 40, 59–69.Google Scholar
Jørgensen, B and Andersen, S 2000. Genetic parameters for osteochondrosis in Danish Landrace and Yorkshire boars and correlations with leg weakness and production traits. Animal Science – Glasgow 71, 427–434.Google Scholar
Lundeheim, N 1987. Genetic analysis of osteochondrosis and leg weakness in the Swedish pig progeny testing scheme. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 37, 159–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luther, H, Schwörer, D and Hofer, A 2007. Heritabilities of osteochondral lesions and genetic correlations with production and exterior traits in station-tested pigs. Animal 1, 1105–1111.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Madsen, P and Jensen, J 2008. A user’s guide to DMU. A Package for Analysing Multivariate Mixed Models, Version 6, release 4.7. Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS), Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Research Center Foulum, Tjele, Denmark.Google Scholar
Miller, HW 1977. Visual appraisal and management considerations. In National Swine Improvement Federation Conference and Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn-West, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, pp. 67–70.Google Scholar
Mote, B, Mabry, J, Stalder, K and Rothschild, M 2009. Evaluation of current reasons for removal of sows from commercial farms. The Professional Animal Scientist 25, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nickel, RSA, Seiferle, E, Wilkens, H, Wille, KH and Frewein, J 1986. The locomotor system of the domestic mammals. Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin, Germany.Google Scholar
Nikkilä, M, Stalder, K, Mote, B, Rothschild, M, Gunsett, F, Johnson, A, Karriker, L, Boggess, M and Serenius, T 2013a. Genetic parameters for growth, body composition, and structural soundness traits in commercial gilts. Journal of Animal Science 91, 2034–2046.Google Scholar
Nikkilä, M, Stalder, K, Mote, B, Rothschild, M, Gunsett, F, Johnson, A, Karriker, L, Boggess, M and Serenius, T 2013b. Genetic associations for gilt growth, compositional, and structural soundness traits with sow longevity and lifetime reproductive performance. Journal of Animal Science 91, 1570–1579.Google Scholar
Norsvin. 2012. In-Gris Annual Statistics 2011 (in Norwegian). Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://norsvin.no/norsvin.no/fag/ingris/aarsstatistikk Google Scholar
Olstad, K, Kongsro, J, Grindflek, E and Dolvik, NI 2014. Ossification defects detected in CT scans represent early osteochondrosis in the distal femur of piglets. Journal of Orthopaedic Research. doi:10.1002/jor.22631.Google Scholar
Reiland, S 1978. Pathology of so-called leg weakness in the pig. Acta Radiologica Supplementum 358, 23–44.Google Scholar
Ross, MW and Dyson, SJ 2011. Chapter 59: Flexural limb deformity in foals. Part VI: developmental orthopedic disease and lameness. In Diagnosis and management of lameness in the horse (pp. 1–1424). Elsevier Saunders, St. Louis, MO, USA.Google Scholar
Serenius, T, Sevón-Aimonen, ML and Mäntysaari, E 2001. The genetics of leg weakness in Finnish Large White and Landrace populations. Livestock Production Science 69, 101–111.Google Scholar
Van Steenbergen, E 1989. Description and evaluation of a linear scoring system for exterior traits in pigs. Livestock Production Science 23, 163–181.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Aasmundstad Supplementary Material

Figure S1

Download Aasmundstad Supplementary Material(File)
File 238.8 KB
Supplementary material: File

Aasmundstad Supplementary Material

Figure S2

Download Aasmundstad Supplementary Material(File)
File 159 KB
Supplementary material: File

Aasmundstad Supplementary Material

Figure S3

Download Aasmundstad Supplementary Material(File)
File 1.4 MB
Supplementary material: File

Aasmundstad Supplementary Material

Figure S4

Download Aasmundstad Supplementary Material(File)
File 203.2 KB
Supplementary material: File

Aasmundstad Supplementary Material

Table S1

Download Aasmundstad Supplementary Material(File)
File 68.6 KB