Genetic parameters for wool production and quality traits in South Australian Merinos of the Collinsville family group

Abstract

Heritabilities and phenotypic and genetic correlations for fleece traits were estimated from a data set comprising 805 male and female progeny of 44 sires of the Collinsville family group. Characteristics included in the study were greasy and clean fleece weight, yield, mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation of fibre diameter, resistance to compression, scoured and greasy wool colour (expressed as yellowness, lightness and yellowness index), wax content, suint content, and subjectively assessed scores for greasy colour, character, handle, quality number, condition, staple formation, tip formation and density. Heritabilities of greasy and clean fleece weight, yield, mean fibre diameter and subjectively assessed fleece scores were in broad agreement with estimates from other Merino strains, but the genetic correlations of mean fibre diameter and associated characters (handle, quality number) with clean fleece weight were lower than previous estimates. Heritabilities for scoured yellowness of wool, resistance to compression and coefficient of variation of fibre diameter, which are potential additional measurements for the specification of wool in sale lots, were 0.42 (¦. 0.14), 0.57 (¦ 0.15) and 0.47 ( ¦ 0.15) respectively. Estimated heritabilities of wax and suint content were 0.24 (¦0.11) and 0.44 ( ¦ 0.14). Although the phenotypic correlations between measures of greasy wool colour and the corresponding measures of scoured wool colour were low (less than 0.3), the genetic correlations were moderate to high (0.4-0.9). Thus selection on the basis of greasy wool colour should lead to genetic improvements in scoured colour. The genetic correlations of resistance to compression with clean fleece weight and fibre diameter were: 0.46 (¦0.21) and 0.44 (¦ 0.20) respectively, but there were no other strong, unfavourable correlations.