Journal article
Genetic correlations between meat quality traits and growth and carcass traits in Merino sheep
SI Mortimer, NM Fogarty, JHJ van der Werf, DJ Brown, AA Swan, RH Jacob, GH Geesink, DL Hopkins, JEH Edwards, EN Ponnampalam, RD Warner, KL Pearce, DW Pethick
Journal of Animal Science | OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC | Published : 2018
DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky232
Abstract
Genetic correlations between 16 meat quality and nutritional value traits and live weight at various ages, live ultrasound fat and muscle depth, carcass measures, and carcass dissection traits were estimated for Merino sheep in the Information Nucleus (IN). Genetic correlations between live weight at various ages and the carcass traits are also reported. The IN comprised 8 genetically linked flocks managed across a range of Australian sheep environments. Meat quality traits included between 1,200 and 1,300 records for progeny from over 170 sires for intramuscular fat (IMF), lean meat yield (LMY), shear force (SF5), pH, meat color, and meat nutritional value traits including iron and zinc lev..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This project is from the Information Nucleus program of the Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation which is supported by the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres Programme, Australian Wool Innovation Ltd., and Meat & Livestock Australia. The authors acknowledge the contributions of the many research and technical staff from seven research agencies and support provided by Australian sheep breeders.