RELATIONS BETWEEN THE BODY CONFORMATION AND COMMERCIAL TRAITS OF CATTLE

The objective of the present paper was to determine phenotype correlat ions between body conformation traits, milk and meat performance param eters, and indirect commercial traits. The results of body conformatio n testing were used as fundamental data; they were obtained in 5,630 b ulls of Fleckvieh breed in Bavaria, by evaluation of progenies born in 1987-1994. Data on body conformation evaluation, expressed as relativ e figures, were consequently combined with breeding values for milk pe rformance, meat performance, milkability, somatic cell counts in milk and calving ease in the evaluated population. The results indicate pos itive and highly significant correlations of milk production with body measurements determined by linear evaluation of body conformation: wi thers height (r = 0.291), chest girth (r = 0.144) and body length (r = 0.147) (Tab. I). A similar trend was determined by evaluation of fat and protein production when correlation coefficients ranged from 0.389 to 0.393 for withers height, for height in hips (r = 0.055-0.115), fo r chest girth (r = 0.203-0.239) and for body length (r = 0.173-0.203). As for the evaluated body measurements, milk production is influenced by withers height to the greatest extent (r = 0.406). Evaluation of t he main and partial traits of body conformation showed positive and hi ghly significant correlations with the udder (r = 0.182-0.212) (Tab. I ); production of milk, fat and proteins as well as the shape of rear q uarters (r = 0.331-0.359) and fore quarters of udder (r = 0.257-0.273) are influenced to the greatest extent. Milk production is influenced by tear shape and position to a much lesser extent (r = 0.080-0.164). The effect of muscling on the evaluated parameters of milk performance in dairy cows of pied cattle is negative and statistically highly sig nificant (r = -0.157 to -0.222). Our results confirm the findings repo rted by numerous authors that dairy cows with bigger body frames chara cterized by height, width and girth measures, with uniform fore quarte rs and spacious, well-positioned quarters and smaller muscling, have h igher production of milk, fat and proteins than dairy cows with smalle r body frames and lower scores of the basic udder traits. Positive and significant correlations of all body measurements to net weight gains (r = 0.189-0.257) were determined by the analysis of relations of bod y measurements to meat production parameters (Tab. II) while the effec t of the body measurements concerned on meat proportion in the carcass and on commercial class EUROP showed an unambiguously negative trend (r = -0.008 to -0.233). Evaluation of the main trait - body frame - an d of its partial characteristics, showed positive effects of body dept h (r = 0.075-0.264) and body width (r = 0.200-0.356) on all parameters of meat production (Tab. II). Significant and highly positive effects on meat production parameters were observed in the main trait - muscl ing (r = 0.329-0.539). The values of correlation coefficients for part ial traits muscling of the body forepart and muscling of the barrel an d rump were 0.303-0.506 and 0.322-0.536, respectively. The relations o f the evaluated traits of muscling to meat proportions in the side of beef were closest (r = 0.506-0.539. All evaluated body measurements sh owed statistically significant relations to milkability, a functional trait of the udder (r = 0.149-0.487) (Tab. III). Evaluation of the par tial traits of body conformation indicated positive and highly signifi cant effects of the shape of fore udder (r = 0.203), rear udder (r = 0 .197) as well as of teat shape (r = 0.161) on milkability. The above r elations confirm the findings of many studies that dairy cows with bet ter characteristics of udder shape have better milkability. Statistica lly significant positive relations of the suspensory ligament (r = 0.1 47) and of teat shape and position (r = 0.109-0.140) to somatic cell c ounts in milk were determined. Negative correlation (r = -0.232) was f ound by evaluating the relation of rear udders to somatic cell counts. Evaluation of the effect of body conformation on calving ease showed the positive relation of all body measurements to this parameter (r = 0.115-0.393) while the highest value of correlation coefficient (r = 0 .393) was calculated for the relation between withers height and calvi ng ease. Our results confirmed that the body conformation influenced c alving ease of dairy cows most significantly.