Avkommaprestanda

Avkommaprestanda is a term used in animal breeding to describe the observed performance of an animal’s offspring for a specific trait. It serves as an indicator of the genetic merit that the parent contributes to its progeny, reflecting how well the genes are transmitted in practical production.

The avkommaprestanda for a trait is typically estimated from records on many offspring, with adjustments for environmental factors such as herd, management, age, and parity. Breeders may report the mean performance of the offspring or derive an estimated breeding value (EBV) for the parent using statistical methods such as BLUP (best linear unbiased prediction). In modern programs, genomic information can be incorporated to improve the accuracy of these estimates.

Applications of avkommaprestanda include selection and mating decisions in livestock breeding. A sire or dam with strong avkommaprestanda for a trait like milk yield, growth rate, or fertility is expected to pass favorable alleles to its progeny, contributing to genetic progress over generations. Avkommaprestanda is often used together with other evaluations, including genomic predictions and trait-specific indexes, to guide breeding choices.

Limitations and considerations include the need for a sufficient number of offspring to obtain reliable estimates, the influence of non-genetic factors and maternal effects, and potential biases from selective mating. Accuracy tends to improve with more progeny data and with the integration of genomic information, enabling earlier and more precise evaluations of genetic merit.

See also: breeding value, progeny testing, BLUP, genomic selection.