Phenotypic variables determination, interrelationship and principal components in ovine herd females

Abstract

The sheep herd present in the country, because it is mostly found in low-income rural economies, has not been of appropriate importance for studies development that permit an adequate characterization of it. The present study, intends to take a step forward in that sense, by having as objective the phaneroptic valuation and the morphometric variables determination, interrelationship and main components (ACP) of the variance explanation. Thirty one females were evaluated by random sampling, belonging to 100 animals herd, from the Santa Rosa farm, in the Sabana Grande community, of Managua department. Fourteen morphological measurements were determined, seven phaneroptic characters, and nine zoomometric indexes were estimated, fi ve were ethnological: Cephalic (IC), thoracic dactyl (IDT), corporal (ICo), proportionality (IPRO), pelvic (IPE); and four to productive capacity: relative depth of the thorax (IPRT), transverse pelvic (IPET), longitudinal pelvic (IPEL), and relative thickness of the cane (IERC). By descriptive statistics it was determined that 46.67% of the morphological variables presented an medium variability, 33.33% a low variability and 20% a high variability, the lowest variability was for (ALC) with a CV of 3.65% and the highest variation corresponded (LG) with a CV of 16.76%, refl ecting that individuals do not present a high morphostructural variability.The Most correlations among the variables studied were positive, except length of the rump (LG) that was negatively correlated with (PV), (AP), and perimeter of cane (PC) that correlated negatively with all the variables studied. All correlations were signifi cant, exception the correlation between (AP) and (AC), and (LG) with (PC) whose correlations were not signifi cant respect to all other variables. Based on the zoometric indexes, these sheep can be defi ned as, dolichocephalic, hypermetric, brevilineal, medialineal and convexilineal, on the other hand the proportionality indexes (IPRO), relative depth of the thorax (IPRT) and the transverse pelvic (IPET), revealed that these animals, don´t have format clear to meat attitude, In relationship to faneroptical characteristics, these are sheep, with brown and black coat, black mucous, dark hooves, pigmented udders, straight rumps, slightly convex profiles and horizontal ears towards the sides. With the multivariate analysis of ACP, it was determined that the most important functional variables were, LC, AC, PV, LG, PT and DE, which can be taken into account for selection processes of the current herd.