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Inheritance of teat number and teat inversion in pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

G. A. Clayton
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JN
J. C. Powell
Affiliation:
Cotswold Pig Development Co. Ltd, Rothwell, Lincoln LN7 6BJ
P. G. Hiley
Affiliation:
Cotswold Pig Development Co. Ltd, Rothwell, Lincoln LN7 6BJ
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Abstract

Total teat number in a Large White and a British Landrace population had a modal number of 14. The trait was highly leptokurtic, indicated by the fact that 086 of the population falls within one standard deviation of the mean. There was no sex difference in total teat number, although a small but significant breed difference existed. Heritability of the trait was low, of the order of 0·10 to 0·20 based on the sire component of variance. Larger dam terms suggested a maternal effect.

Severely inverted teats (nipple invisible) were observed in 0·17 of gilts. Mean number of inversions was 0·738 in the entire population but 4·01 in affected gilts. The heritability of the trait was of the order of 0·20 and a maternal component was possibly involved.

Inverted teats are not distributed at random. They occur most frequently in the umbilical and anterior regions and diminish sharply in frequency towards the rear. In this study 0·97 of all affected pigs had one or more inverted teats in the umbilical and anterior regions.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1981

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References

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