Level of phenotypic manifestation of feeding and meat qualities of young pigs of different intrabreed differentiation according to some multi-component evaluation indexes

Abstract

The paper deals with the results of the search for fattening and meat qualities of young pigs of Large White breeds of different interbreeding differentiation according to some integrated indicators, the level of correlations between traits, and the economic efficiency of research results is calculated. The experimental part of the work was performed in agricultural formations of the Dnipropetrovsk region and the laboratory of animal husbandry of the State Establishment Institution “Institute of Grain Crops of NAAS of Ukraine”. Evaluation of young pigs for fattening and meat qualities was carried out taking into account the following indicators: average daily gain of live weight during the period of control fattening, kg, age achievement of live weight 100 kg, days, the thickness of the lard at the level of 6–7 thoracic vertebrae, mm, the length of the chilled carcass, cm. A comprehensive evaluation of young pigs for fattening and meat qualities was performed according to the Tyler and Sazer-Fredin indices. Economic efficiency of research results and biometric processing of the obtained data were carried out according to generally accepted methods. It was found that young pigs of the Large White breed of the controlled population at the age of 100 kg exceeded the minimum requirements of the elite class by 6.13%, the thickness of the lard at the level of 6-7 thoracic vertebrae – 32.25 % and the length of the chilled carcass – 3.92 %. A significant difference between animals of different interbreeding differentiation according to the Tyler index (groups I and III) was set up by the average daily gain of live weight during the control period of fattening (91.7 g), age of 100 kg live weight (7.3 days), lard thickness at the level of 6–7 thoracic vertebrae (3.4 mm), length of the chilled carcass (1.7 cm), length of bacon half of chilled carcass (2.7 cm). Taking into account the interbreed differentiation according to the Sazer-Fredin index, it is found that young pigs of the II group prevailed over their peers of I in terms of average daily increase in live weight during the period of control fattening by 4.03 %, age of achievement of live weight of 100 kg – 3.67 % and length of the chilled carcass – 0.2 %. The pairwise correlation coefficient between fattening and meat qualities of young pigs and evaluation indices ranges from -0.710 (tr = 10.24) to +0.844 (tr = 20.98). The maximum increase in additional products was obtained from young pigs of the first experimental group according to the Tyler index (+5.03 %) and the second experimental group according to the Sazer-Fredin index (+1.12 %). The cost of additional products got from the young pigs of these groups, provided that the selling price per 1 kg of live weight of young pigs at the time of the search was 47.5 UAH is +247.51 and +55.42 UAH/head, respectively.