Effects of Brahman genetic resource proportion on growth performance traits of beef crossbreds in Western Highlands of Vietnam

Abstract

Importance of the work: Of the many studies on beef cattle in the Western Highlands of Vietnam, none have reported on the genetic resources of the Brahman breed.
Objectives: To evaluate the impact of the Brahman breed on the growth performance of beef crossbreds.
Materials & Methods: During 2017–2020, data were collected from 1,069 calves in 243 households, consisting of body weight (BW) and the average daily gain (ADG) from birth to age 24 mth. The data were analyzed using the Proc GLM linear regression approach in the SAS 9.0 software, with fixed effects of location, calving year, calf sex and breed group.
Results: Upgraded crossbreds with a proportion of Brahman breed genetics could be developed successfully in the Western Highlands, with the upgraded cattle having linearly increased growth and groups containing 75% or more Brahman breed producing faster growth, with ADG values from birth to age 24 mth of 527.32–561.01 g/d. Based on Local Yellow cattle, for every 1% increase in the Brahman breed in the crossbreds, the BW increased from 0.14 kg at birth to 2.43 kg at 24 mth, with an ADG increase from 1.42g/d to 4.47g/d. Based on Red Sindhi crossbreds, for every 1% increase of Brahman breed genetic resource, the BW increased from 0.17 kg at birth to 2.30 kg at 24 mth, with an ADG increase from 1.72g/d to 3.98g/d.
Main finding: The Brahman breed had a positive effect on growth performance in crossbreds. The higher genetic proportion of Brahman in the crossbreds, the better the growth performance they acquired. Upgrading using the Brahman breed to improve growth performance would be an appropriate and favorable solution for the beef industry in the Western Highlands of Vietnam.