Selection for piglet mortality and litter size in outdoor organic pig production systems

TY - GEN

T1 - Selection for piglet mortality and litter size in outdoor organic pig production systems

AU - Chu, Thinh Tuan

AU - Zaalberg, Roos Marina

AU - Jensen, Just

AU - Villumsen, Trine Michelle

PY - 2022/6

Y1 - 2022/6

N2 - This study evaluated breeding goals for increasing litter size of sows 11 days after farrowing (LS11) in organic production systems while aiming to reduce piglet mortality (Mort11). Investigated breeding goals included LS11 only, or Mort11 and total number of piglets born (TNB) combined. Response to selection, expressed as LS11, was derived using selection index theory. We found that selection based on breeding goal of LS11 only, or using equal economic weights for TNB and Mort11 would increase LS11, but at the costs of increasing pigletmortality. By defining LS11 as two traits of TNB and Mort11, selection could reduce piglet mortality through possibility of altering economic weights for the traits in breeding goals, and through exploiting heritability differences of TNB and Mort11 in selection. By increasing economic weight for Mort11, breeding program for organic pig production could achieve zero genetic change in Mort11 while still gaining more TNB.

AB - This study evaluated breeding goals for increasing litter size of sows 11 days after farrowing (LS11) in organic production systems while aiming to reduce piglet mortality (Mort11). Investigated breeding goals included LS11 only, or Mort11 and total number of piglets born (TNB) combined. Response to selection, expressed as LS11, was derived using selection index theory. We found that selection based on breeding goal of LS11 only, or using equal economic weights for TNB and Mort11 would increase LS11, but at the costs of increasing pigletmortality. By defining LS11 as two traits of TNB and Mort11, selection could reduce piglet mortality through possibility of altering economic weights for the traits in breeding goals, and through exploiting heritability differences of TNB and Mort11 in selection. By increasing economic weight for Mort11, breeding program for organic pig production could achieve zero genetic change in Mort11 while still gaining more TNB.

M3 - Article in proceedings

BT - WCGALP 2022 Programme book

PB - Wageningen Academic Publishers

T2 - 12th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production

Y2 - 3 July 2022 through 8 July 2022

ER -