Estimation of genetic parameters for novel functional traits in Brown Swiss cattle

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and accuracies of breeding values for a set of functional, behavior, and conformation traits in Brown Swiss cattle. These traits were milking speed, udder depth, position of labia, rank order in herd, general temperament, aggressiveness, milking temperament, and days to first heat. Data of 1,799 phenotyped Brown Swiss cows from 40 Swiss dairy herds were analyzed taking the complete pedigree into account. Estimated heritabilities were within the ranges reported in literature, with results at the high end of the reported values for some traits (e.g., milking speed: 0.42 +/- 0.06, udder depth: 0.42 +/- 0.06), whereas other traits were of low heritability and heritability estimates were of low accuracy (e.g., milking temperament: 0.04 +/- 0.04, days to first heat: 0.02 +/- 0.04). For most behavior traits, we found relatively high heritabilities (general temperament: 0.38 +/- 0.07, aggressiveness: 0.12 +/- 0.08, and rank order in herd: 0.16 +/- 0.06). Position of labia, arguably an indicator trait for pathological urovagina, was genetically analyzed in this study for the first time, and a moderate heritability (0.28 +/- 0.06) was estimated.