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Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) - Call for papers!

Performance of Purebred and Reciprocal Crossbred Landrace and Yorkshire Sows from Two Commercial Farms

(Thailand), Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science (University of the Philippines Los Baños)

Dissertation Abstract:

 

Data on the reproductive performance of sows were collected from two farms in the PhiIippines. In Farm A, data from 6,927 litters farrowed by purebred Landrace (L) and Yorkshire (Y) and reciprocal crossed (LY, YL) sows from January 1989 to December 1991 were used. These litters were classified into 14 breed-groups. In Farm B, data from 5,608 litters farrowed by purebred Landrace and Yorkshire and reciprocal crossed (LY, YL) sows from January 1988 to December 1991 and classified into 10 breed-groups were used. Data on production performance were obtained from 20 D (LY) barrows, 20 D (LY) gilts, 20 D (YL) barrows. 20 D (YL) giIts, and 40 giIts each from purebred Landrace and Yorkshire. These were ana lyzed using the least-square technique.

In both farms A and B, breed-group, breed of dam, litter order, and month and year of farming had significant effects on most traits associated with sow productivity. In Farm A, crossbred (LY, YL) sows were better than purebred sows in litter size at birth and at weaning, litter weight at weaning, and number of pigs weaned per sow per year. Within purebred litters and litters farrowed by crossbred sows, no significant difference was found in most of these traits. Most of the reproductive traits from the first two litter orders were significantly lower than the subsequent Iitter order.

Sire effects on most reproductive traits were small and insignificant, although Duroc and Pietrain-Duroc boars sired slightly more pigs weaned per sow per year than either Landrace or Yorkshire boars.

In Farm B, on the other hand, purebred Landrace litters were significantly bigger and heavier at weaning and had longer farrowing interval and lower sow index than purebred Yorkshire litters. Among the litters farrowed by crossbred (LY, YL) sows, most reproductive traits were not significantly different. The breed of dam showed that crossbred sows had bigger litter size at weaning, higher survival rate from birth to weaning, shorter farrowing interval, higher sow index, and more pigs weaned per sow per year than purebred sows.

Sire effects on some traits were significant. Landrace boars produced pigs with higher survival rate and heavier pigs and litters at weaning but had longer weaning to conception interval and farrowing interval than the Yorkshire boars. The Duroc boars sired significantly more pigs weaned per sow per year than either the Yorkshire or Landrace boars.

In Farm A, the Landrace x Yorkshire sows were 6.18, 5.85, 8.07, and 7.99 percent bigger in litter size born alive, litter size at birth, litter size at weaning, and pigs weaned per sow per year, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups of market hogs, D (LY) and D (YL), in terms of average daily gain, average daily gain from birth, body weight at 180-day, back fat thickness and feed efficiency, which, on the average, measured 787 g, 594 g, 106.94 kg, 1.41 cm, and 3. 10 cm, respectively.