Abstract:
In order to estimate the genetic parameters of reproductive traits in Duroc pigs, as well as to analyze the effects of non-genetic factors on reproductive traits, such as parturition season and parity, reproductive performance records between 2009 to 2020 of Duroc pigs from a core breeding farm in Shanxi Province were collected. DMU software was used to estimate the genetic parameters of each reproductive trait, and aov function in R software was used to analyze the influence of genetic parameters and non-genetic factors on reproductive traits by ANOVA of season and parity. The results showed that the heritability of reproductive traits ranged from 0.01 to 0.05, except the trait of gestation period. There were positive genetic correlations between total litter size and live litter size, healthy litter size, weak litter size and litter weight at birth, while there were negative genetic correlations between gestation period and total litter size, live litter size, healthy litter size, dead litter size and litter weight at birth. The effects of parturition on total litter size, live litter size, healthy litter size and birth litter weight of Duroc pigs reached a highly significant level(P<0.01). However, season only had significant effects on the number of stillbirth, number of dead litter and gestation period(P<0.01). The number of piglets lost in winter was the least; the number of dead piglets and stillborn piglets were significantly lower than those in spring, summer and autumn(P<0.05); the total litter size, live litter size and litter weight at birth in spring were significantly higher than those in spring, summer and winter(P<0.05), and the gestation period in winter was significantly longer than that in spring, summer and autumn(P<0.05). The number of stillbirth, dead litter and weak litter was the lowest when parities were 2. The total litter size was the highest and the gestation period was the longest at 3 parities. It indicated that the selection and planning of gestation cycle and parturition season should be paid attention to in breeding production planning, so as to give full play to the reproductive potential of sows with parturition parity of 2 or 3 and increase the parturition number in winter and spring.