Estimation of the genetic parameters of sheep growth traits based on machine vision acquisition

作者：Q. Qin, C.Y. Zhang, Z.C. Liu, Z.C. Liu, Yichang Wang, Dong Kong, Debin Zhao, Jiale Zhang, Mingxi Lan, Zhenni Wang, S.H. Alatan, I. Batu, Xin Qi, Ruqian Zhao, Jing Li, Bo-Xian Wang, Zhihong Liu, Zhihong Liu · 发表于：animal · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.animal.2024.101196 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock、Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock

In the realm of animal phenotyping, manual measurements are frequently utilised. While machine-generated data show potential for enhancing high-throughput breeding, additional research and validation are imperative before incorporating them into genetic evaluation processes. This research presents a method for managing meat sheep and collecting data, utilising the Sheep Data Recorder system for data input and the Sheep Body Size Collector system for image capture. The study aimed to investigate the genetic parameter changes of growth traits in Ujumqin sheep by comparing machine-generated measurements with manual measurements. The dataset consisted of 552 data points from the offspring of 75 breeding rams and 399 breeding ewes. Six distinct random regression models were assessed to pinpoint the most suitable model for estimating genetic parameters linked to growth traits. These models were distinguished based on the inclusion or exclusion of maternal genetic effects, maternal permanent environmental effects, and covariance between maternal and direct genetic effects. Fixed factors such as individual age, individual sex, and ewe age were taken into account in the analysis. The genetic parameters for the yearling growth traits of Ujumqin sheep were calculated using ASReml software. The Akaike information criterion, the Bayesian information criterion, and fivefold cross-validation were employed to identify the optimal model. Research findings indicate that the most accurate model...