Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T04:23:59.806Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The concentration of minerals in the blood of genetically diverse groups of sheep. III. Correlations among calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and copper concentration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Gerald Wiener  and
A. C. Field
Gerald Wiener
Affiliation:
A.R.C. Animal Breeding Research Organization, West Mains Road, Edinburgh 9
A. C. Field
Affiliation:
Moredun Research Institute, Gilmerton, Edinburgh 9
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Two sets of correlations among blood mineral concentrations were calculated (1) those attributable to the effects of various factors (breed, age, lambing performance, etc.) and (2) those remaining (residual) when the effects of such factors had been removed as sources of variation in mineral concentration (the equivalent of correlations within subclasses).

Correlations arising from breed differences in mineral concentrations were highest for Ca.P (– 0·81), Ca.Cu (0·83) and P.Cu (–0·95). Correlations consequent on changes with the age of the sheep were most marked for Ca.Mg (0·97, P < 0·01) and Cu.K (–0·92, P < 0·05) and approximately 0·8 (P < 0·1) for Ca.K, P.Mg, P.K and K.C1.

Residual correlations were all below 0–2 (although seven of the twenty-one were statistically significant, P < 0·05) suggesting that within subclasses most of the variation in the concentration of anyjone mineral was independent of that in the other minerals. Simple and partial correlations were very similar in magnitude suggesting that the associations found between pairs of minerals were not attributable to joint co-variance with any of the other five minerals.

As the sheep grew older, changes in the concentrations of Ca, P and Mg were significantly correlated with the increases in live weight. Within subclasses, differences among the sheep in live weight were significantly (P < 0·05) and positively correlated with differences in the concentrations of Ca (r, 0·11), Mg (0·13) and Cu (0·11).

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 73 , Issue 2 , October 1969 , pp. 275 - 278
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1969

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

Evans, J. V. & King, J. W. B. (1966). Genetic control of sodium and potassium concentration in the red blood cells of sheep. Nature, Lond. 176, 171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Field, A. C., Wiener, G. & Wood, J. (1969). The concentration of minerals in the blood of genetically diverse groups of sheep. II. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium and chlorine concentrations for three hill-breeds and their crosses at pasture. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 73, 267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kidwell, J. F., Bohman, V. R., Wade, M. A., Haverland, L. H. & Hunter, J. E. (1959). Evidence of genetic control of blood potassium concentration in sheep. J. Hered. 50, 275–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lane, A. G., Campbell, J. R. & Krause, G. F. (1968). Blood mineral composition in ruminants. J. Anim. Sci. 27, 766–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stewart, J. (1934). The effects of phosphorus deficient diets on the metabolism, blood and bones of sheep with special reference to conditions existing in Great Britain. Rep. Inst. Anim. Path. Univ. Camb. 4, 179–205.Google Scholar
Underwood, E. V. (1966). The mineral nutrition of livestock. Farnham Royal, Bucks: Commonw. Agric. Bur.Google Scholar
Wiener, G. (1967). A comparison of the body size, fleece weight and maternal performance of five breeds of sheep kept in one environment. Anim. Prod. 9, 177–95.Google Scholar
Wiener, G., Field, A. C. & Wood, J. (1969). The concentration of minerals in the blood of genetically diverse groups of sheep. I. Copper concentration at different seasons in Blackface, Cheviot, Welsh Mountain and cross-bred sheep at pasture. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 72, 93–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar