Premium
Consequences of elimination of the Rendement Napole allele from Danish Hampshire
Author(s) -
Closter A.M.,
Guldbrandtsen B.,
Henryon M.,
Nielsen B.,
Berg P.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of animal breeding and genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.689
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1439-0388
pISSN - 0931-2668
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0388.2010.00900.x
Subject(s) - inbreeding , biology , zoology , genetic gain , population , allele , overdominance , genetic variation , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , demography , sociology , gene
Summary An elimination programme was carried out to remove the dominant Rendement Napole mutation (RN − ) from Danish Hampshire pigs. We reasoned that during and after the elimination of the RN − allele, genetic gain of production traits decreased while rate of inbreeding in the population increased compared to the period prior to elimination. The hypothesis was tested by estimating the genetic gain in seven production traits and measuring the rate of inbreeding in the population prior to and during the elimination period. Genetic gain was reduced for quantitative traits daily gain 30–100 kg and feed conversion ratio, while gain for ultimate‐pH, lean meat percentage and slaughter loss were increased slightly. There were no changes in genetic gain for daily gain birth–30 kg and conformation. RN polymorphism affected several of the quantitative traits. The RN − mutation had a dominant effect on the traits daily gain birth–30 kg , daily gain 30−100 kg , slaughter loss, lean meat percentage and ultimate‐pH. It exhibited overdominance for feed conversion ratio and additive effect for conformation. Rate of inbreeding decreased during the elimination of RN − . Our findings indicate that the consequences of the elimination programme were not as serious as were feared and that a carefully designed preselection strategy may avoid unacceptable loss of genetic gain and excessive loss of genetic variation.