Productive qualities of young pigs of the Large White breed of diverse genealogical lines and interbreed differentiation according to some integrated indicators

Abstract

The purpose of the work was to investigate the fattening and meat qualities in young pigs of the Large White breed of diverse genealogical lines and interbreed differentiation according to some integrated indicators and to calculate the economic efficiency of the experimental results. The fattening and meat qualities in young pigs were evaluated by the quantitative characteristics such as average daily live weight gain during the control fattening period (g), the age of reaching 100 kg live weight (days), thickness of lard at the level of 6–7 thoracic vertebrae (mm), length of the chilled carcass (cm), length of the bacon half of the chilled half-carcass (cm). Comprehensive evaluation of the animals in the experimental groups was carried out according to the Tyler and Wangen indices. Biometric processing of research results was conducted according to the methods of V. P. Kovalenko et al. (2010). The research was performed in agricultural formations of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Jazz meat processing plant, and the animal husbandry laboratory of the Institute of Grain Crops NAAS of Ukraine. It was established that in terms of fattening and meat qualities, the young pigs of the genealogical lines Tafftus C61203 UA 8819345 and Azuro UA 8800557 of the Large White breed correspond to the elite class. Young pigs of the genealogical line Tafftus C61203 UA 8819345 outperform peers of the Azuro line UA 8800557 by 3.25% in the age of reaching a live weight of 100 kg, in fat thickness at the level of 6–7 thoracic vertebrae by 5.74%, in chilled carcass length by 0.93%. Animals of the Azuro UA 8800557 line are characterized by a longer length of the chilled carcass and the length of the bacon half of the chilled carcass. The number of significant correlations between the fattening and meat qualities of the Large White breed young pigs, the CI selection index, and the Tyler index is 80%. The maximum increase in additional production was obtained from young pigs of the genealogical line Tafftus C61203 UA 8819345 (+2.52%), then I experimental group according to the Tyler index (+3.98%) and the selection index CI (+4.30%). The criteria for selecting highly productive animals due to the CI breeding index are 57.69–78.57 points, and the Tyler index is 214.89–242.85 points. The economic efficiency of the use of young pigs from the specified groups provides additional production at the level of +3.98–4.30%.