Relationship between type traits with milk yield and reproductive traits in holstein cows

This research was carried out to estimate some genetic parameters of type traits of 230 head Holstein cows raised in private dairy cattle enterprise in Kırsehir and to determine the correlations between these type traits with milk yield and reproductive characteristics. The overall mean of stature (STA), dairy character (DC), strength (STR), body depth (BD), rump angel (RA), rump with (RW), rear legs side view (RLSV), hock status (HS), foot angle (FA), rear legs rear view (RLRV), udder depth (UD), fore udder attachment (FUA), rear udder height (RUH), central ligament (CL), fore teat placement (FTP) and teat length (TL) were determined as 147.52±5.23 cm, 5.65±0.93, 5.00±0.87, 6.02±0.84, 5.49±1.03, 5.06±0.88, 5.37±1.04, 4.77±0.71, 5.53±0.79, 4.52±1.05, 5.07±1.19, 4.63±1.03, 5.27±1.03, 5.43±1.59, 4.39±0.79 and 5.00±0.99, respectively. Of non-linear traits, the means for dairy form (DF), body conformation (BC), feet and legs system (FLS), mammary system (MS) and final score (FS) were calculated as 79.52±3.59, 80.09±1.98, 78.75±1.87, 78.57±2.40 and 79.09±1.35, respectively. Effect of parity on all linear type traits, except for DC, RA, HS, RLRV, CL and FTP, and non-linear traits (DF, BC, FLS, MS and FS) were statically significant, while effect of calving season on all traits was insignificant (P<0.05) except for RW and RLRV. Heritability of STA, DC, STR, BD, RA, RW, RLSV, HS, FA, RLRV, UD, FUA, RUH, CL, FTP and TL were estimated as 0.34±0.256, 0.29±0.250, 0.12±0.179, 0.26±0.189, 0.16±0.188, 0.27±0.272, 0.12±0.191, 0.07±0.142, 0.07±0.199, 0.16±0.289, 0.44±0.275, 0.41±0.259, 0.31±0.243, 0.33±0.225, 0.39±0.275 and 0.08±0.199, respectively. Heritability of DF, BC, FLS, MS and FS were also counted as 0.24±0.265, 0.10±0.145, 0.32±0.194, 0.34±0.145 and 0.39±0.133, respectively. The highest genetic correlations with 305 day milk yield (305-dMY) were determined between DC (0.96), BD (0.81) and RUH (0.65), RLSV (-0.90) and MS (0.69). The highest genetic correlations with calving to first service interval (CFSI) were found between STR (0.59), BD (0.55), RW (0.61), FUA (0.56) and BC (0.48). Genetic correlations among days open (DO) and calving interval (CI) with all traits were determined between -0.33 and 0.29. Phenotypic correlations between 305-dMY, CFSI, DO and CI with linear and non-linear traits were changed from -0.25 to 0.25. The mean values of 305-dMY, CFSI, DO and CI were 9805.09±1715.92 kg, 66.07±19.98 days, 134.07±72.04 days and 414.53±74.22 days, respectively. The heritability for 305-dMY, CFSI, DO and CI were estimated as 0.18±0.012, 0.08±0.185, 0.05±0.162 and 0.13±0.178, respectively. Keywords: Holstein cow, Type traits, Heritability, Genetic correlation, Phenotypic correlation, Milk yield, Reproduction traits