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Chinese Livestock and Poultry Breeding ›› 2026, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (5): 101-107.doi: 10.19543/j.cnki.1673-4556.20260331.001cstr: 32418.14.j.cnki.1673-4556.20260331.001

• Animal Genetics and Breeding • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of non-genetic factors on growth and reproductive traits of Angus cattle and correlation analysis among traits

Xuxin Zhu1(), Penghui Guo2, Cheng Peng1, Guohu Sun1, Honghe Li2, Yuhua Shen2, Juanshan Zheng2, Shengwei Pei2, Xiaofang Feng2()   

  1. 1.Gansu Provincial General Station of Animal Husbandry Technology Extension, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu
    2.College of Life Science and Engineering, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu
  • Received:2025-10-09 Online:2026-03-26 Published:2026-06-17
  • Contact: Xiaofang Feng E-mail:zhuxuxinfei@163.com;xiaofangf@yeah.net

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Abstract:

Objective This study assessed the influence of yearling weight (YW) and body condition score (BCS) on the reproductive performance of Angus cattle, thereby establishing a data-driven support system. It provides a reference for the selection and breeding of the Angus core herd and the formulation of a scientifically sound Angus cattle selection and breeding program. Method Data was collected and organized on two growth traits—YW and BCS, and three reproductive traits—age at first calving (AFC), age at first service (AFS), and calving interval (CI)—from six large-scale Angus cattle farms in Ningxia between 2012 and 2023. Statistical analysis was conducted using SAS software (version 9.2) to examine the effects of birth farm-year interaction and birth year-season interaction on AFC, YW, and BCS; the effects of birth site-year interaction, birth year-season interaction, breeding farm-year interaction, and breeding year-season interaction on AFS; and the effects of birth farm-year interaction, birth year-season interaction, breeding site-year interaction, breeding year-season interaction, and parity on CI. The study utilized animal models to investigate the genetic and phenotypic correlations among various traits. Result The results demonstrated that non-genetic factors had highly significant effects (P<0.01) on age at AFC, age at AFS, CI, YW, and BCS. The genetic correlation between AFC and AFS was moderate (0.45), with a corresponding phenotypic correlation of 0.43. Conversely, AFC exhibited a negative genetic correlation (-0.26) and phenotypic correlation (-0.22) with CI. The analysis of growth traits (BCS, YW) and reproductive traits (AFC, AFS, CI) revealed that, except for a weak positive correlation between BCS and CI (0.001) (P<0.001), all other growth traits (BCS, YW) displayed negative genetic and phenotypic correlations with reproductive traits (AFC, AFS, CI). Notably, YW showed a strong positive genetic correlation (0.83) and phenotypic correlation (0.76) with BCS. Conclusion In conclusion, under conditions characterized by strong environmental influences, the reproductive efficiency of Angus cattle can be enhanced by either moderating the rate of annual weight gain or by selecting early-maturing, low-body-weight cows as foundational herd parents, thereby indirectly reducing the age at first calving and the calving interval.

Key words: Angus cattle, Reproductive traits, Yearling weight, Body condition score, Genetic parameters

CLC Number: 

  • S823

Table1

Descriptive statistics of reproductive traits, yearling weight and body condition score of Angus cattle"

性状Traits数量N平均值Mean标准差SD变异系数CV/%最大值Max最小值Min
初产日龄AFC/d1026903.2310.2611.991119.00576.00
初配月龄AFS/月52916.752.4714.7523.0013.00
产犊间隔CI/d558386.6548.8112.62571.00303.00
周岁体重YW/kg1949428.5067.6615.79693.00305.00
体况评分BCS/分162384.546.818.0597.0061.00

Table 2

Results of non-genetic factor significance test of reproductive traits, yearling weight and body condition score of Angus cattle (F value)"

性状Traits出生场-年Birth farms-year出生年-季Birth year-season胎次Parity配种场-年Service farms-year配种年-季Service year-season
初产日龄AFC72.44**58.36**
初配月龄AFS6.84**232.67**107.73**6.06**
产犊间隔CI15.98**30.98**20.26**
周岁体重YW58.45**184.62**
体况评分BCS32.70**20.91**

Table3

Genetic and phenotypic correlations among traits in Angus cattle"

性状Traits初产日龄AFC初配月龄AFS产犊间隔CI周岁体重YW体况评分BCS
初产日龄AFC1.000.45-0.26-0.34-0.81
初配月龄AFS0.431.00--0.10-0.14
产犊间隔CI-0.22-1.00-0.15-0.02
周岁体重YW-0.11-0.13-0.051.000.83
体况评分BCS-0.79-0.250.0010.761.00
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