HERITABILITY DETERMINATION FOR REPRODUCTION CHARACTERS IN THE NEW MILK POPULATION FORMED IN THE NORTH-EAST PART OF ROMANIA

C-tin Pascal, I. Nechifor, Al.M. Florea, C. Cristian

Abstract
   The purpose of carrying out activities related to determining the heritability of characters in a new type of sheep population was to know the share of influence of genetic factors in the expression of the characters taken into account. The biological material subjected to the research was represented by the young male and female sheep as well as adults belonging to the Țigaie breeds and to the new milk breed resulting from its crossing with genitors belonging to the Awassi breed. In order to determine the specific values of the genetic estimators, the obtained results were entered in the database used to run statistical analyzes with the REML (REstricted Maximum Likelihood) algorithm, which allows an analysis of the normal estimators specific limits. In the case of determining the heritability coefficient for the specific reproduction function characters, the resulting values fit them in the group of the weak heritable ones (<0.23). All this suggests that in order to increase the reproductive performance in the selection of breeders other criteria should be taken into consideration.

Key words: amelioration, Ţigaie, Awassi, heritability, production characters