Abstract
A 383 progeny records for Saudi camels were genetically analysed and evaluated for growth performance of body weights at birth and bimonthly, thereafter up to 12 months of age along with gains in weight at 2-month intervals. Data were analysed using DFREML procedure to estimate heritabilites, maternal common environment and random error. Breeding values for growth traits of calves in this population were predicted using an animal model.
Phenotypic variations for most growth traits in Saudi camels were moderate or slightly high; ranging from 7.0 to 35.2%. Heritabilities were moderate or slightly high and ranging from 0.24 to 0.40. Ratios of maternal common environment were mostly moderate and ranging from 0.10 to 0.30. The ranges in breeding values for growth traits of animals were 25.3, 39.6, 61.0, 70.1, 83.7, 104.3, 109.6, 111.0, 102.1, 96.7, 81.0, 115.1, and 96.7 kg for body weight at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 months of age, respectively. While, the ranges in estimates of breeding values for daily gain in weights were 0.270, 0.348, 0.371, 0.471, 0.491, 0.542, and 0.638 kg at intervals of 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-8, 8-10, 10-12, and 0-12 months of age, respectively. Accuracies of breeding values recorded for growth traits were moderate; ranging from 0.46 to 0.75. For the list of all camels, the additive selection responses per generation (SRA) predicted were moderate or high and nearly similar at different stages of growth; ranging from 5.7 to 12.2% relative to the actual mean of the trait.