EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOURCES OF SPECIFIC VARIABILITY ON LIVE WEIGHT AND WOOL PRODUCTION TRAITS IN ASCANIAN EWES

Genoveva Staikova, Neviana Stancheva

Abstract: A study assigning 287 Ascanian ewes at different age and comprising a seven-year period, 2003 -2009, was initiated with the aim to establish the effect of different sources of specific variability on live weight and wool production. The evaluations of the variance, representing the effects of the factors included, and the F- values of significance of each of them were established. The effects of year of birth, breeding line, and mating scheme were studies. ES-estimates were resulted for each class of each source of variability and coefficients of determination for the applied model. All the evaluations and analyses were based on multifactor linear models (Harvey, 1990). It was established that year of birth is a significant source of specific variability for the traits live weight, wool yield, length, clean wool yield, and clean fibre of the Ascanian breed (P<0.001, P<0.01, P<0.05). Additively determined variability, relevant to lineage and mating scheme, was not established for the main productive traits of the Ascanian sheep population.

Keywords: Ascanian breed; breeding lines; live weight; wool yield; year of birth

Date published: 2023-02-21