Estimation of Heritability and Breeding Values in the Growth Traits of Local and F1 Crossbreed Buffaloes in Bangladesh

Abstract

Estimation of heritability and breeding values is essential for improving economically important traits and identifying superior individuals in buffalo populations. This study evaluated growth traits in 33 Local/Indigenous and 35 F1 crossbreed (Local × Mediterranean Italian) buffalo progenies using a single-trait animal model under Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML), with fixed effects (parity, sex, birth season, year of birth, breeding system) and random effects (additive genetic and permanent environment). Heritability of body weight (BW) was moderate and stable in Local buffalo (0.32±0.08–0.39±0.07) but more variable in crossbreeds (0.21±0.17–0.42±0.11). F1 crossbreeds consistently outweighed Local buffalo, from 35.06±0.82 kg at birth to 219.70±6.36 kg at 12 months, and showed higher average daily gain at birth-3 months (678.11±27.27 g/day) followed by at 3-6 months (599.66±22.21 g/day), confirming a positive crossbreeding effect. Estimated breeding values (EBVs) showed considerable variability for both traits: BW EBVs ranged from −31 to +40 kg in Local buffalo and −19 to +31 kg in crossbreeds, while ADG EBVs (0–12 months) ranged from −86 to +115 g/day and −55 to +87 g/day, respectively. These findings indicate that moderate-to-high heritability supports effective selection, while EBV variability offers scope to identify genetically superior animals and improve herd performance across environments.