53/19 | General Article | Animal Genetics and Breeding

Estimates of Genetic Parameters of Semen Traits in Crossbred Bulls

Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Madras Veterinary College, TANUVAS, Chennai-600 007, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Data on 106197 semen ejaculates of 310 Jersey crossbred bulls maintained at three frozen semen stations in Tamil Nadu, India from 2002 to 2014 were collected. The data were grouped sire-wise to estimate heritability, repeatability and genetic and phenotypic correlations of certain semen attributes. The heritability and repeatability estimates of semen volume, sperm concentration, mass activity, initial sperm motility, post-thaw sperm motility and number of doses per ejaculate were 1.46 and 0.32, 0.16 and 0.34, 1.69 and 0.29, 0.26 and 0.48, 0.29 and 0.29; and 0.48 and 0.39, respectively in CBJY bulls. The genetic correlation coefcient was -0.45 between semen volume and sperm concentration, -0.69 between semen volume and mass activity, -0.30 between semen volume and initial sperm motility, 0.95 between sperm concentration and mass activity, 0.18 between sperm concentration and initial sperm motility and 0.64 between mass activity and initial sperm motility. These ndings would be helpful for the planners and breeders to understand the amount of additive genetic variance present on semen traits of Jersey crossbred bulls.

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