Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (9): 3677-3688.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.09.009

• ANIMAL GENETICS AND BREEDING • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Genetic Parameter Estimates for Body Conformation in Xinjiang Brown Cattle Based on Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis

XU Lei1, ZHANG Menghua1, ZHANG Tao1, GENG Juan2, FAN Shoumin3, YANG Guangwei3, GUO Yang2, DENG Qiang2, LI Jinzhi4, LIU Jiangwei5, HUANG Xixia1*, WANG Yachun6*   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China;
    2. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Animal Husbandry Station, Urumqi 830004, China;
    3. Animal Husbandry Station of Yili State, Yining 835099, China;
    4. Tacheng Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Technology Co., Tacheng 834799, China;
    5. Xinjiang Yan Ben Brown Cattle Breeding Development Co., Changji 831200, China;
    6. College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
  • Received:2023-03-22 Published:2023-09-22

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Abstract: The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of body conformation traits in Xinjiang brown cattle. In addition, principal component analysis and factor analysis were applied to examine the genetic patterns among the main components and factors after reducing the dimensions. The aim was to provide valuable insights for the development of breeding programs. SAS software was utilized for principal component and factor analysis. BLUPF90 software was employed to estimate the genetic parameters for 27 body conformation traits and the phenotypes of principal component and factor scores. The data consisted of 1 016 lactating cows from 9 core breeding farms of Xinjiang brown cattle. The average information restricted maximum likelihood method with animal models was used for estimation. The findings of the study revealed that most body conformation traits exhibited medium to high heritability, with the exception of heel depth, foot angle, and udder balance. When analyzing the data, it was determined that the principal components (1 to 8; eigenvalues ≥ 1) and latent factors (1 to 8; eigenvalues ≥ 1) collectively accounted for 57% of the total variance. These principal components and factors provided valuable information regarding the body frame, muscularity, rump, feet&legs, as well as the mammary system of the cattle. The heritability estimates for each principal component and factor ranged from 0.13 (PC6) to 0.46 (PC1) and from 0.08 (F3) to 0.48 (F1), respectively. Furthermore, the genetic correlations estimated through principal component analysis varied from -0.76 (PC3-PC6) to 0.74 (PC3-PC4), while the factor analysis yielded correlations ranging from -0.75 (F3-F6) to 0.86 (F1-F6). These results indicate that most body conformation traits in Xinjiang brown cattle exhibit medium to high heritability, except for heel depth, foot angle, and udder balance. Additionally, both principal components and latent factors can be employed to evaluate body conformation traits, effectively reducing the multidimensional traits into new variables. This approach eliminates the need to analyze numerous highly correlated traits, thereby reducing the computational burden associated with handling extensive datasets.

Key words: Xinjiang brown cattle, body conformation traits, principal component analysis, factor analysis, genetic parameters

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