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pp.67-74
The objective of this study was to estimate the effects of test seasons on backfat thickness and age at 90 kg body weight in Duroc pig populations. Data of a total of 40,228 Duroc pigs performance tested from 2005 to 2014 were used. The effects of sexes, years and seasons of the tests were significant (p<0.01) for the both traits. The least squares mean of the age at 90 kg body weight of the pigs tested in 2014 was significantly less than that of the pigs tested in the previous years. And the pigs tested in spring reached 90 kg body weight faster than the pigs tested in the other seasons. The least squares mean of backfat thickness of the pigs tested in autumn was thicker than that of the pigs tested in the other seasons. Pigs tested in spring had the thinnest backfat. There were seasonal variations in the least squares mean estimates of the age at 90 ㎏ both in male pigs (134.06 to 134.36 days), and in female pigs (139.47 to 139.65 days). Seasonal variations were also detected in least sqaures means of the backfat thicknesses in male pigs (11.31-11.34 ㎜) and in female pigs (13.05-13.07 ㎜). The simple and rank correlation coefficients between breeding values estimated using the trait values unadjusted for seasonal effects and those using the trait values pre-adjusted for seasonal effects trait values were all unity, for the both traits. These results indicate that the adjustment of the trait values with regards to seasonal variation had no effects on the estimates from genetic evaluations.
