Five trials involving 432 growing boars were utilized to study the effects of six levels of crude protein on gain, feed efficiency, feed intake, backfat thickness and longissimus muscle area. The boars were fed ad libitum either a 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 or 24% crude protein diet from about 24.6 to 54.4 kg (period 1). From 54.4 to 98.8 kg (period 2), the crude protein in each diet was reduced by 2%....

The effects of a supplemental feeding strategy during mid-gestation on lean gilts body reserves, productive and reproductive performance were assessed. A total of 90 gilts were allocated into two treatments (Control, C, and Supplemented, S). Control sows (n = 43) were fed according to the level routinely used on farm (2.5-3.0 kg d, 2.9 Mcal metabolizable energy kg feed and 0.6% of lysine) throu...

The effect of feeding sows a starch diet or a diet with a high level of nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP) during gestation, lactation, or both gestation and lactation during the first three parities on reproductive performance, body weight, and backfat was studied. Four-hundred and forty-four postpuberal gilts were allotted to a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial experiment. Treatments were diet composition dur...

Several studies have reported the presence of carcass quality QTL on BTA14 and BTA26, with no specific genes being conclusively linked as their cause. The aim of this study was to identify polymorphisms in genes known to affect lipid metabolism in other species and to assess their association with carcass quality traits. Two genes located on BTA14, 2,4 dienoyl CoA reductase 1 (DECR1) and core b...

Purebred Hampshire, Duroc and crossbred (H x D, D x H) boars were studied to evaluate reproductive characteristics. One hundred seventeen boars were castrated at 7Y:! months of age to evaluate testicular weights and sperm numbers. Seventy-eight additional boars were studied to evaluate conception rate and embryo numbers when mated to Yorkshire gilts. Rate of gain and backfat probe were also ava...

A first experiment in 229 barrows examined the effect of the genetic type on growth, carcass composition and intramuscular fat (IMF) content and composition. Four genetic types were used: Landrace x Large White (LSLW), Duroc, either inseminated with boars from the same (D1D1) or a different line (D1D2), and Duroc x Iberian (D1IB). All pigs were reared until 200 days under the same conditions. I...

Following preliminary screening and feeding trials on farms supplying a commercial abattoir, 360 entire male pigs were used to evaluate the effects of different percentages of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) on levels of boar taint compounds and sensory aspects in backfat. Pigs were fed 0, 3, 6 or 9% chicory in the diet, 30 pigs being sampled at 3 different times: initially to measure basal leve...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of selected factors affecting fatty acids (FA) composition in pig fat. In the experiment, the influence of nutrition, gender, carcass weight, lean meat proportion (LMP) and intramuscular fat (IMF) were monitored. The effect of diet, specifically the influence of added linseed or corn on the fatty acids composition in the backfat was studied in pig...

Backfat thickness, daily gain, and five exterior traits were measured in 36 814 Large White and Landrace gilts from nucleus and multiplier herds. Functional stayability, defined as survived (1) or not (0), from first to second (STAY12) and from first to third litter (STAY123) was available for 13 760 of these animals in a commercial multiplier environment. Heritabilities and genetic correlation...

The primary goal of this study was to detect and confirm QTL on SSC6 for growth and fatness traits in 2 experimental F(2) intercrosses: Iberian x Landrace (IB x LR) and Iberian x Meishan (IB x MS), which were used in this study for the first time in a QTL analysis related to productive traits. For this purpose, single- and joint-population analyses with single and bivariate trait models of both...