Growth of F₁Bos Taurus × Bos indicus versus Bos indicus beef cattle in Venezuela¹. II. Initial, final, and carcass weight of bulls, and breeding weight of heifers

Abstract

Summary Animals produced from zebu cows using semen of Brahman (B, control), Charolais (C), Limousin (L), Marchigiana (M), Romosinuano (Criollo, R) and Simmental (S) in experiment 1 (E1), and semen of B (control), Angus (A), Chianina (K), Gelbvieh (G), L and S in experiment 2 (E2) were evaluated on two ranches in the Venezuelan floodplains. In E1, initial weight (IW), average daily gain (ADG) during the finishing period, final weight (FW) and carcass weight (CW) were recorded in bulls, while FW in bulls and weight before the breeding season (SW) in heifers were recorded in E2. After reaching 18 months of age, bulls were maintained on savanna and cultivated pasture, and, during the finishing period, on cultivated pasture. Heifers were maintained on savanna until breeding age. The following numbers of records were analysed by least‐squares procedures: 1. In E1: 1262 IW; 1261 ADG; 1269 FW; 1265 CW; 2. In E2: 721 FW; 565 SW. In the model breed group, year and month of birth, sire within breed, year × month and age (linear and quadratic except in ADG) were were included. Breed group was highly significant and all crossbred groups were superior to Brahman at all weights. Adjusted means for IW, ADG, FW and CW in E1 were 304.1 ± 2.3 kg (age 700 days), 742 ± 9 g (period of 229 days), 467.8 ± 3.2 kg (age 929 days) and 242.6 ± 1.7 kg (age 929 days), respectively. In E2, adjusted means for FW and SW were 478.2 ± 1.9 kg (age 892 days) and 341.6 ± 2.4 kg (age 767 days), respectively. Mean superiority (and variation of means of extreme groups) of F1 over B was: 1. In E1: IW, 7.9 (4.5‐10.2) %; ADG, 12.2 (6.3‐14.5)%; FW, 9.1 (5.1‐13.3)%; CW, 10.3 (7.3‐13.5)%; 2. In E2: FW 7.2 (4.5‐9.8)%; SW 12.2 (10.6‐14.4) %. In E1, F1 M and F1 C were the best groups at all weights, and, for FW, these were F1 K and F1 S in E2. The progeny of the best sire within breed for FW in E1 and E2 was 18.1 and 12.9% superior to that of the poorest. The average advantage of crossbreds over B in E1 and E2 was equivalent to 40 and 32 kg or 40 and 32 US$, while these values for the best groups were 58 and 44 kg, or 58 and 44 US$. Zusammemfassung Wachstum von F1 Bos taurus × Bos indicus versus Bos indicus Fleischrindern in Venezuela. II. Anfangs‐, End‐und Schlachtkörpergewicht von Bullen und Anpaarungsgewicht von Färsen In Zwei Versuchen (E1 und E2) wurden in zwei Herden im venezolanischen Tiefland (Überschwemmungsgebiet) Gewichte von Rindern erhoben, die von Zebukühen und Samen von Brahman (B, Kontrollgruppe), Charolais (C), Limousin (L), Marchigiana (M), Romosinuano (Criollo, R) und Simmental (S) abstammten (E1) und von B (Kontrotrollgruppe), Angus (A), Chianina (K), Gelbvieh (G), L und S in E2. In E1 wurden ermittelt: Anfangsgewicht (AG), durchschnittliche tägliche Zunahme (DTZ) während der Mastperiode, Endgewicht (EG) und Schlachtkörpergewicht (SG), und in E2 an Bullen EG und an Färsen das Gewicht vor dem Beginn der Zuchtsaison (ZG). Die Bullen wurden nach dem Alter von 18 Monaten auf Savanne und während der Endmast auf Kulturweide gehalten. Die Färsen wei...

Relation between Holstein bulls’ proofs for milk in USA and the survival and body weights up to 18 months of their F1 zebu progeny in Venezuela

“…However, wide differences due to farm and year are normally observed under lowland tropical grazing conditions and, overall, the adjusted and non‐adjusted mean weights are within the ranges published for other European B. taurus F 1 crossbreds in Venezuelan beef herds (C evallos et al. 1984; P lasse et al. 1995a,b).…”

Growth of F1Bos taurus × Bos indicus versus Bos indicus beef cattle in Venezuela1. I. Weights at birth, weaning and 18 months

“…Preliminary data were reported by H oogesteijn et al (1980, 1983a, b) and P lasse et al (1983b, 1988a, 1992). This paper discusses the weights at birth, weaning and 18 months, while the other traits are the subject of a second article in this journal (P lasse et al 1995).…”

Crecimiento, características de la canal y calidad de carne de toros jóvenes de tres biotipos sometidos a reimplante y suplementación en sabana tropical mejorada

“…Por más de 40 años, los productores vacabecerro en las sábanas neotrópicas inundables del estado Apure, Venezuela, han intentado mejorar la genética del hato predominantemente constituida por tipos Bos indicus, de pobre desempeño productivo (Plasse, 1992; Pereira et al, 2015 y calidad inferior de carne (Crouse et al,1993; Schutt et al, 2009; Phelps et al, 2017. Los programas de selección y cruzamientos se han enfocado principalmente en mejorar indicadores de crecimiento y reproductivos (Plasse et al, 1995, Romero et al, 2000; Plasse et al, 2002. Sin embargo, como en otros programas de mejoramiento genético en el trópico (Gathura et al, 2020), no se ha trabajado para mejorar otros rasgos de importancia económica, como los de la canal y la calidad de la carne.…”

“…Una importante reducción en la fuerza de corte WarnerBratzler (FCWB) en carne de toros tauroíndico finalizados a pasto, sugiere que la heterosis para terneza puede ser más relevante que en los finalizados a grano (Gama et al, 2013). El afán de algunos productores locales por mestizar cebuínos en busca del vigor híbrido (Plasse et al, 1995, Plasse, 2000 y aprovechar la existencia de un sistema de clasificación venezolano de carnes por calidad (Decreto No. 1896 justifica comparar el mérito de la canal y la calidad de la carne entre biotipos no tradicionales, adaptables al trópico.…”

“…El plan de mejora genética del hato y el manejo general en la finca fueron descritos en detalle por Plasse et al (1995)…”