Estimativas de herdabilidade de consumo alimentar residual e consumo e ganho residual em bovinos da raça Nelore

Abstract

In the last decades, globalization promoted an increase in scientific productivity, in which the high number of articles and studies published on the same subject, provided some variations in the results that deal with the heritability values of feed efficiency traits in cattle. In view of this, the statistical methodology called meta-analysis made it possible to combine the results from several studies to make a qualified synthesis and obtain an estimated general value. The objective was to carry out a meta-analytic analysis of the data contained in the literature of the heritability values of the residual feed intake (CAR) and residual intake and gain (RGC) traits in Nellore cattle. Through bibliographic research, 22 works were selected, estimating a total of 49 direct heritability estimates, being 36 heritability estimates for CAR and 13 for CGR. Then, the information of each work was collected, analysis and synthesis of the results of the studies, interpretation of the collected values and the presentation of the obtained results were carried out. The combined heritability values estimated by this work were 0.22 for CAR and 0.14 for CGR, indicating that both are of moderate heritability. Therefore, when used in selection programs, they tend to provide significant genetic progress for the Nelore breed.