EFFECT OF DIALLEL CROSS BETWEEN VARIETIES OF JAPANES QUAIL ON MEAT PRODUCTION TRAITS

Abstract

This study was conducted in poultry house - Animal production Department- College of Agriculture/ University of Diyala, for the period from 3/7 until 30/10/2015. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of diallel cross (3×3) between japanese quail varieties (Coturnix coturnix japonica), white (W), black (B) and brown (N) on meat production traits, estimation the main effects of sire and dam, effect of interaction between sire and dam, general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA), reciprocal effect (RES), heterosis and maternal effect on body weight, weight gain, food consumption and feed conversion. The results showed significant effect of sire main effect on body weight during six and seven weeks of age, the superiority of black variety sire main effect compared with the white variety sire main effect, and nonsignificant of dam variety main effect on body weight at all weeks of age. The interaction between variety of sire and dam showed a superiority of cross (B×N) on cross of white purebred and some crossbred and reciprocal on body weight at 3 and 7 week .The results showed the important of additive genes effects in black and brown varieties, the important of dominant effect in the hybrid (white× brown) compared with the other hybrids in body weight traits when cross male white variety with female brown variety, reciprocal effect showed nonsignificant differences in body weight at all weeks. The result of cumulative traits showed nonsignificant differences between all crosses in cumulative food consumption, cumulative feed conversation and significant differences in cumulative weight gain. Hence the cross (B×N) had high weight gain compared with white purebred and some reciprocal crosses. Black and brown varieties showed superiority on white variety in GCA in cumulative weight gain. The hybrid (black × brown) had less SCA compared with the other hybrids. Reciprocal crosses showed nonsignificant differences in all cumulative traits