Principal component analysis (PCA) is a vital statistical technique for defining the morphological structure of livestock but has not been used in South African Kalahari Red goats. Thirteen morphometric traits and eleven body indices from two hundred and ninety-six (296) South African Kalahari Red goats (269 does and 27 bucks) aged 2–3 years were used to define morphological structure using PCA. The coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), Akaike’s information criterion (AIC), Mallows' Cp-statistic (Cp), and coefficient of variation (CV) were used to select the best fit model. Body weight was correlated with all morphometric traits in both sexes. The first two principal components explained 87.31% of the variation in measurements from male goats and 62.32% of the trait variation in the females. The inclusion of head length, body length, canon circumference, rump length, rump width, body condition score, wither height, and rump height increased the accuracy to 98% with smaller RMSE (2.42), AIC (55.35), Cp (10.00), and CV (3.98), and the use of PC1 and PC2 included 94% of the variation (RMSE, 3.62; AIC, 72.26; Cp, 3.00; CV, 5.94 in males). In females, the inclusion of all morphometric traits included 87% of the variation (RMSE, 2.93; AIC, 590.63; Cp, 13.00; CV 5.87). The use of PC1 and PC2 included 82% of the variation (RMSE, 3.41; AIC, 663.60; Cp, 3.00; CV, 6.84). PCA can therefore be used in breeding programs to define the morphological structure of South African Kalahari Red goats with a severe reduction in the number of morphometric traits to be recorded.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.