A diallel crossing experiment with two breeds of laying fowl

Abstract

Synopsis Light Sussex and Brown Leghorn flocks were concurrently bred pure and crossed in both directions for 6 years in an experiment to test for genetic interactions (“nicking”) between individual sires and dams. The traits measured in survivors to 450 days of age were (i) egg production, 126–250 days, (ii) egg production, 250–450 days, (iii) egg production, 126–450 days, (iv) mature egg weight, (v) age at sexual maturity and (vi) pullet weight at 18 weeks. There was little response to selection in the primary trait, egg production to 450 days. Crossbreds showed a degree of heterosis in averages of egg production and there were consistent reciprocal differences between crossbreds in egg weight and pullet weight. It was impossible to distinguish between sex linkage and maternal effects in the determination of these differences. Analyses of variance were complicated by the breed difference and by heterogeneity of variances, but yielded little evidence of interaction in egg production either between sires and breed of dams or between dams and sires. Some significant interactions were noted in egg weight and pullet weight. A weighted covariance technique yielded high positive correlations between purebred and crossbred sire family means, and confirmed that genetic interactions were unimportant. Thus reciprocal recurrent selection would not have been advantageous for improving egg production of crossbreds from the two flocks.