Genetic Evaluation Studies in Tabapuã Cattle Breed Using Random Regression Models-Review

The objective of this research is to estimate the genetic parameters and covariance components for growth characteristics in cattle from Tabapuã breed through random regression models (RRM). The estimates of covariance functions are considered nowadays, interesting alternatives to work with longitudinal data that allow the description of covariances changes due to time and prediction of variances and covariances along the growth curve. The RRM has been used to estimate the variance components and genetic parameters of milk production on the control day of the lactation curve and meat production in many species, including bodyweight of beef cattle and among these the cattle from Tabapuã breed, enabling us to work with features of growth curves that are measured repeatedly during the animal's life, known as longitudinal data. These models used in genetic evaluation in cattle are considered special cases of covariance functions that allow estimation of coefficients of genetic covariance functions directly through the method of restricted maximum likelihood.