Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T11:44:22.243Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Survival of Swedish Landrace and Yorkshire sows in relation to osteochondrosis: a genetic study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

M. H. Yazdi ,
N. Lundeheim ,
L. Rydhmer ,
E. Ringmar-Cederberg  and
K. Johansson
N. Lundeheim
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Funbo-Lövsta, S-755 97 Uppsala, Sweden
L. Rydhmer
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Funbo-Lövsta, S-755 97 Uppsala, Sweden
E. Ringmar-Cederberg
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Funbo-Lövsta, S-755 97 Uppsala, Sweden
K. Johansson
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Funbo-Lövsta, S-755 97 Uppsala, Sweden
Get access

Abstract

A genetic study was carried out to: (1) conduct a genetic analysis of longevity of Swedish Yorkshire sows, (2) study the environmental and genetic factors that influence the presence and severity of osteochondrosis, and (3) investigate the relationship between breeding values for osteochondrosis and longevity of sows. The data for the longevity analyses were extracted from the Swedish litter-recording scheme data bank (Quality Genetics, former Scan Avel HB). After editing original data, records of 9814 Yorkshire sows with 7553 (77%) uncensored and 2261 (23%) censored born 1986 through 1997 were used in the analyses. Litter size at first and last farrowing, age at first farrowing, backfat thickness, daily gain and weight at completion of performance test (~170 days) were included as fixed effects in all analyses. The combination of herd-year effect was treated as fixed or random, time-independent or time-dependent in different analyses. Sire effect was considered as the source of genetic variation and thus a sire model was used. The analyses of osteochondrosis were based on information on 14 388 Landrace and 14 458 Yorkshire pigs from the Swedish pig progeny-testing scheme, recorded from 1987 through 1997. The birth herd and the combination of sex, testing station, year and month for start of test were included as fixed effects in the statistical model. Variance and covariance components for osteochondrosis recorded at elbow and knee joints were estimated in a bivariate animal model by the restricted maximum likelihood method within each breed. In the survival analyses (Yorkshire sows), the fixed effects of herd-year (when it was treated as fixed effect), litter size at first and at last farrowing, age at first farrowing, backfat and gain at completion of performance test were highly significant (P < 0·01). Herd-year combination was the major cause of variation for risk of culling, compared with other fixed effects. The risk of being culled at a certain time decreased as the litter size at first and at last farrowing, or backfat of the gilt at completion of performance test increased. With increasing age at first farrowing, the risk of being culled at a certain time increased. Heritability in the original scale for longevity ranged from 0·21 to 0·31. The results for osteochondrosis showed that the combined effect of sex-testing station-year and month of start of test was highly significant (P < 0·01). Estimates of heritabilities for osteochondrosis score were similar for both Landrace and Yorkshire breeds and was, on average, 0·21. The correlations between breeding values for longevity and osteochondrosis were low (on average 0·07, adjusted for genetic trends) but were significant (P < 0·01) and in a favourable direction: higher osteochondrosis load associated with higher risk of being culled.

Keywords

genetic analysislongevityosteochondritissows
Type
Breeding and genetics
Information
Animal Science , Volume 71 , Issue 1 , August 2000 , pp. 1 - 9
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Dagorn, J. and Aumaitre, A. 1979. Sow culling: reasons for and effect on productivity. Livestock Production Science 6: 167–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ducrocq, V. P. 1992. Survival analysis. Workshop on advanced biometrical methods in animal breeding, 9-15 October, Flawil, Switzerland. Google Scholar
Ducrocq, V. P. 1999. Two years of experience with the French genetic evaluation of dairy bulls on production-adjusted longevity of their daughters. Proceedings on Genetic Improvement of Functional Traits (GIFT), longevity, May, 1999, Jouy-En-Josas, France.Google Scholar
Ducrocq, V. P. and Casella, G. 1996. A Bayesian analysis of mixed survival models. Genetics, Selection, Evolution 28: 505–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ducrocq, V. P., Quaas, R. L., Pollak, E. J. and Casella, G. 1988a. Length of productive life of dairy cows. 1. Justification of a Weibull model. Journal of Dairy Science 71: 3061–3070.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ducrocq, V. P., Quaas, R. L., Pollak, E. J. and Casella, G. 1988b. Length of productive life of dairy cows. 2. Variance component estimation and sire evaluation. Journal of Dairy Science 71: 3071–3079.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ducrocq, V. and Sölkner, J. 1998. The Survival Kit V3·0, a package for large analyses of survival data. Proceedings of the sixth world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Armidale, vol. 27, pp. 447–450.Google Scholar
Eliasson-Selling, L. and Lundeheim, N. 1996. Longevity of sows in Swedish sow pools. Proceedings of NJF-seminar no. 265. Longevity of sows. Report 111. Research Centre Foulum, Denmark.Google Scholar
Gueblez, R., Gestin, J. M. and Le Henaff, G. 1985. Incidence de l’âge et de l’épaisseur de lardorsal á 100 kg sur la carriére reproductive de truies Large White. Journées de la Recherche Porcine en France 17: 113–120.Google Scholar
Holder, R. B., Lamberson, W. R., Bates, R. O. and Safranski, T. J. 1995. Lifetime productivity in gilts previously selected for decreased age at puberty. Animal Science 61: 115–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, J. and Madsen, P. 1993. A user’s guide to DMU, a package for analyzing multivariate mixed models. National Institute of Animal Science Research Centre Foulum, box 39 8830, Tjele, Denmark.Google Scholar
Karlberg, K. 1979. [Culling among sows.] Norsk Veterinærtidsskrift 91: 423–426.Google Scholar
Krieters, J. 1995. Zuchtwertschätzung für die Nutzungsdauer von Sauen. 70th Ausschuss für genetisch statistische Methoden in der Tierzucht. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Züchtungskunde: Germany.Google Scholar
Lawless, J. 1982. Statistical models and methods for lifetime data. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.Google Scholar
Le Cozler, Y., Dagorn, J., Lindberg, J. E., Aumaitre, A. and Dourmad, J. Y. 1998. Effect of age at first farrowing and herd management on long-term productivity of sows. Livestock Production Science 53: 135–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
López-Serrano, M., Reinsch, N., Looft, H. and Kalm, E. 2000. Genetic correlations between performance and exterior traits with stayability traits in Large White and Landrace sows. Livestock Production Science In press.Google Scholar
Lundeheim, N. 1987. Genetic analysis of osteochondrosis and leg weakness in the Swedish pig progeny testing scheme. Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica 37: 159–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lundeheim, N. and Rydhmer, L. 1990. Genetic analysis of osteochondrosis and leg weakness in the Swedish Landrace pig production. Proceedings of the fourth world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Edinburgh, vol. XV, pp. 493–496.Google Scholar
Nakano, T., Brennan, J. J. and Aherne, F. X. 1987. Leg weakness and osteochondrosis in swine: a review. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 67: 883–901.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olsson, A. C. 1996. Longevity and causes of culling of sow. Comparative studies in two housing systems for sows in gestation. Proceedings of NJF-seminar no. 265. Longevity of sows. Report 111. Research Centre Foulum, Denmark.Google Scholar
Olsson, S.-E. 1978. Osteochondrosis in domestic animals. I. Acta Radiologica Supplementum 358: 9–14.Google Scholar
Reiland, S. 1975. Osteochondrosis in the pig: a morphologic and experimental investigation with special reference to the leg weakness syndrome. Department of Clinical Radiology, The Royal Veterinary College, The National Veterinary Institute, Stockholm, Sweden (dissertation).Google Scholar
Reiland, S. 1978. The effect of decreased growth rate on frequency and severity of osteochondrosis in pig. Acta Radiologica Supplementum 358: 107–122.Google Scholar
Reiland, S., Ordell, N., Lundeheim, N. and Olsson, S.-E. 1978. Heredity of osteochondrosis, body constitution and leg weakness in the pig. Acta Radiologica Supplementum 358: 123–137.Google ScholarPubMed
Ringmar-Cederberg, E., Johansson, K., Lundeheim, N. and Rydhmer, L. 1997. Longevity of Large White and Swedish Landrace sows. Proceedings of the 48th annual meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, Vienna, Austria, book no. 3, p. 30.Google Scholar
Ringmar-Cederberg, E. and Jonsson, L. 1996. Sow culling in Sweden. Proceedings of NJF Seminar no. 265. Longevity of sows. Report 111. Research Centre Foulum, Denmark.Google Scholar
Sabec, D., Zagozen, F., Urbas, J. and Subelj, J. 1980. Locomotory disturbances in testing boars. Proceedings of the sixth IPVS congress, Copenhagen, p. 331.Google Scholar
Schemper, M. 1992. Further results on the explained variation in proportional hazards regression. Biometrika 79: 202–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, S. P. and Quaas, R. L. 1984. Productive life span of bull progeny groups: failure time analysis. Journal of Dairy Science 67: 2999–3007.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steenbergen, E. J. van. 1990. Relevance of exterior appraisal in pig breeding. Doctoral thesis, Department of Animal Breeding, Wageningen Agricultural University.Google Scholar
Sterning, M., Rydhmer, L. and Eliasson-Selling, L. 1998. Relationship between age at puberty and interval from weaning to oestrus and between oestrus signs at puberty and after the first weaning in pigs. Journal of Animal Science 76: 353–359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Svendsen, J., Nielsen, N. C., Bille, N. and Riising, H.-J. 1975. Causes of culling and death in sows. Norsk Veterinaermedicin 27: 604–615.Google ScholarPubMed
Tholen, E., Bunter, K. L., Hermesch, S. and Graser, H.-U. 1996. The genetic foundation of fitness and reproduction traits in Australian pig populations. Relationships between weaning to conception interval, farrowing interval, stayability, and other common reproduction and production traits. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 47: 1275–1290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vollema, A. R. and Groen, A. F. 1996. Genetic parameters of longevity traits of an upgrading population of dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 79: 2261–2267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vollema, A. R. and Groen, A. F. 1997. Longevity on small and large dairy cattle farms: a comparison of phenotypic averages, REML breeding values, and survival analysis breeding values. Proceedings of the 48th annual meeting of the EAAP, Vienna, Austria, book no. 3, pp. 31.Google Scholar
Yazdi, M. H., Rydhmer, L., Ringmar-Cederberg, E., Lundeheim, N. and Johansson, K. 2000. Genetic study of longevity in Swedish Landrace sows. Livestock Production Science 63: 255–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar