Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences1028-88801812-5735Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/pjbs.2007.373.377MohammadiH. EdrissM.A. 32007103Genetic parameters were estimated for birth weight (BWT), weaning
weight (WWT) and pre-weaning Average Daily Gain (ADG) using Restricted
Maximum Likelihood (REML) procedures. Six different animal models were
fitted, differentiated by including or excluding maternal effects. The
direct heritability estimates (h2) ranged from 0.26 to 0.53,
0.18 to 0.32 and 0.15 to 0.33 for BWT, WWT and ADG, respectively. The
estimates were substantially higher when maternal effects, either genetic
or environmental, were ignored from the model. The maternal heritability
(m2) for BWT was the highest (0.25) when maternal genetic effect
alone was fitted in the basic model. It was decreased to 0.14 when the
maternal permanent environmental effect (c2) was employed.]]>Abegaz, S., E. Negussie, G. Duguma and J.E.O. Rege,20021193545Albuquerque, L.G. and K. Meyer,20011188392Al-Shorepy, S.A.,200139219224Behzadi, M.R.B. and F.E. Shahroodi,20022002Cloete, S.W.P., J.C. Greeff and R.P. Lewer,200131123130Duguma, G., S.J. Schoeman, S.W.P. Cloete and G.F. Jordaan,2002326675Edriss, M.A., F. Tahmasebi and M. Vatan-Khah,20022002pp: 14El Fadili, M., C. Michaux, J. Detilleux and P.L. Leroy,200037203208Kalantar, M. and R. Torshizi,20022002Khalili, D., R. Torshizi, R. Miraei Ashtiani and A. Shoorideh,20022002Lee, J.W., S.B. Choi, Y.H. Jung, J.F. Keown and L.D. van Vleck,20007814141421Ligda, C., G. Gabriilidis, T. Papadopoulos and A. Georgoudis,2000677580Meyer, K.,199752187199Meyer, K.,19981998Neser, F.W.C., G.J. Erasmus and J.B. van Wyk,200140197202SAS.,1996Release 8.5,Seid-Alian, S.A., R. Miraei-Ashtiani, M. Moradi and M.B. Sayad-Nejad,20042004Snyman, M.A., G.J. Erasmus, J.B. Van Wyk and J.J. Olivier,199544229235Vaez, T.R., F.W. Nicolas and H.W. Raadsma,19964712351249Tosh, J.J. and R.A. Kemp,19947211841190Yazdi, M.H., G. Engstrom, A. Nasholm, K. Johansson, H. Jorjani and L.E. Liljedahl,199765247255