Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: palizban@modares.ac.ir

2 Corresponding Author, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: masoudia@modares.ac.ir

3 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: alireza.ehsani@modares.ac.ir

4 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: rasoult@modares.ac.ir

Abstract

Objective: Meta-analyses are conducted with the aim of systematically and reproducibly integrating diverse data reported in research articles. To date, such studies in Iranian sheep populations have been limited to estimating the heritability of a small number of traits. The primary objective of the present study was to compile and analyze information from published articles to calculate weighted means and genetic parameters for 23 production and reproductive traits, with the ultimate goal of supporting national breeding programs for indigenous Iranian sheep. Additional aims included providing an overall perspective on the range of genetic parameter estimates, identifying traits with greater potential for genetic improvement, and highlighting future research needs.
Methods: A total of 279 research articles were collected from all available national and international databases to perform a meta-analysis of genetic parameters related to growth and reproductive traits in Iranian native sheep. Of these, 210 articles addressed growth traits and 69 addressed reproductive traits. Data heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. Due to the high levels of heterogeneity observed among studies, a random-effects model was applied. The reliability of estimates was evaluated using the relative standard error (RSE) statistic.
Results: For production traits, the highest and lowest coefficients of variation in weighted means were observed for average daily gain from weaning to 6 months of age (45.45%) and Kleiber ratio from birth to weaning (10.74%), respectively. Direct heritability estimates ranged from 0.101 for the Kleiber ratio from weaning to six months to 0.222 for body weight at six months of age. For reproductive traits, the highest and lowest coefficients of variation were recorded for total weaning weight per lambing (30.91%) and lamb survival rate to weaning (5.62%), respectively. Direct heritability for reproductive traits ranged from 0.040 for conception rate to 0.130 for total birth weight per lambing.
Conclusions: In the present study, the heritability of production traits in Iranian native sheep was estimated to be low to moderate. Due to the substantial coefficient of variation observed in the phenotypic expression of growth traits, it is recommended that, in addition to implementing national breeding programs and phenotypic selection, breeders should also consider the crucial influence of environmental factors, such as breed, production system, nutritional management, and healthcare, in genetic improvement programs. Furthermore, the findings revealed that heritability estimates and coefficients of variation for the most important reproductive traits in Iranian sheep are significantly lower than the levels required for effective breeding programs based solely on phenotypic selection. Therefore, it is recommended that the improvement of reproductive traits in indigenous sheep populations be pursued through advanced methods, such as marker-assisted selection.

Keywords

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