The morphometry study contributes to the comprehension of the animal conformation. The objective of this research was to study the morphometric measurements of crossbred female Murrah buffaloes, aiming to give subsidies to the study of the relations between their body structures and productive or reproductive performances. The morphometric body measurements studied were: the breast width (BW), thigh width (THW), hip width (HW), rump width (RW), rump length (RL), animal depth (AD), body length (BL), front height (FH), hind height (HH), shoulder width (SW), thorax width (TW), loin width (LW), distance from the head to the ischium (DHI) and thoracic perimeter (TP). Descriptive and Pearson correlation analysis were performed. The average values were 43.

Litter size, or prolificacy, in goats is defined as the number of kids born per doe kidding. Improving litter size through selection not only directly enhances producer profitability as more progeny can be marketed but can also increase genetic gains in other traits due to greater selection intensity. However, most traits associated with reproduction have low heritability, and genetic improvement will be slow if the selection is based on one or a few phenotypic records. In the absence of a genetic evaluation programme with extensive pedigrees and performance recording, phenotypic selection for litter size is not promising. Advances in molecular genetic techniques may serve as an alternative to increase genetic progress in prolificacy. Several techniques have been developed to elucidate the mechanisms involved in phenotypic expression at the DNA level. Although recent research has identified genomic regions associated with several production traits in goats, litter size has not been extensively researched. Nevertheless, recent advancements in molecular genetic have created new opportunities for the improvement of litter size in goats. The development of next generation molecular tools to identify genomic genetic variants has made it possible to apply whole-genome scanning techniques, genomewide association studies, and genomic selection to improve goat prolificacy.

No abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the non-carcass components (NCC) of Berganês ecotype lambs of different sexual classes and genotypes using univariate and multivariate statistics, carrying out two experimental trials. In order to evaluate the effects of the sexual class, non-castrated males (BNC), castrated males (BC) and females (BF) of Berganês ecotype lambs were used, with mean initial body weight of 27 ± 3.1 kg. To evaluate crossbreeding, non-castrated male lambs of the genotypes Berganês (BG), Berganês × Santa Inês (BSI) and Berganês × Dorper (BD) were used, as well as the control Dorper × Santa Inês (DSI), all with mean initial body weight of 28 ± 3.8 kg. The weight and yield of the total by-products was higher for BNC. Regarding the genotype, BSI showed higher weight and yield of internal fat, but the weight and yield of the total by-products was higher for BG and BD. In factorial analysis (FA), the NCC, more correlated with empty body weight (EBW) and total weight gain (TWG), showed higher eigenvectors for factor 1. For factor 2, the weights and yields of internal fat and total viscera obtained higher eigenvectors. The discriminant analysis (DA) classified 100% of individuals in their respective sexes and genotypes. Therefore, the FA indicated that, among the NCC evaluated, the weights of liver, kidneys, GIT, skin and feets are determinant for obtaining EBW and TWG. The classification achieved by the DA indicates that the sexual classes and genotypes are heterogeneous.

RESUMO: O objetivo do presente trabalho foi testar ferramentas de análise multivariada para avaliação do crescimento de cordeiros Berganês e cruzados no Semiárido Nordestino. O estudo foi feito com base em medidas biométricas, no início e fim do experimento, em ovinos machos não castrados pertencentes aos genótipos Berganês (BG), Berganês x Santa Inês (BSI), Dorper x Berganês (DB) e o grupo controle Dorper x Santa Inês (DSI), cada grupo genético foi composto por 8 animais. O delineamento utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado. Inicialmente, os dados foram submetidos a análise de correlação de Pearson. Em seguida, realizou-se análise fatorial com base em componentes principais-(AF), com a finalidade de resumir o conjunto de variáveis originais em poucos fatores e indicar as variáveis que mais contribuem para avaliação do crescimento dos animais. A análise discriminante foi adotada para verificar diferenças entre os grupos genéticos avaliados. Observou-se correlação significativa (p < 0,01) para a maioria das variáveis medidas no final do experimento. As características mais importantes para avaliar o crescimento biométrico de ovinos Berganês e cruzados estão associadas ao padrão racial e desenvolvimento corporal dos animais, de acordo com a análise fatorial. Os animais foram classificados em seus respectivos genótipos no fim do experimento de acordo com a análise discriminante. As técnicas estatísticas utilizadas nesse estudo foram bastante úteis para entender e diferenciar o grupo genético Berganês e seus cruzamentos com base em características biométricas.