PREDICTION OF PERFORMANCE TEST TRAITS IN GROWING LANDRACE AND LARGE WHITE PIGS UNDER PHILIPPINE CONDITIONS

Abstract

Non-linear prediction equations (i.e. polynomial and power functions) were determined to investigate trends in performance test traits and body measurements of 80 Landrace (40 boars and 40 gilts) and 78 Large White (38 boars and 40 gilts) grown from 76 to 174 days old at a local swine breeding farm, Cabuyao City, Laguna. For boars, the proposed shift from 90 to 110 kg weight at the end of test (EOT) will result to older boars (+20.6 days), higher daily feed intake, DFI (+0.20 kg/day), higher average daily gain, ADG (+0.081 kg/day), lower feed efficiency, FE (+0.03 g/g), higher average backfat thickness, ABFT (+1.70 mm), body length, BL (+7.6 cm), shoulder height, SH (+2.98 cm), and rump height, RH (+3.95 cm). At 110 kg market weight, Landrace boars were older at EOT (+2.1 days) and had higher DFI (+0.03 kg/day) than Large White boars. At 110 kg market weight, performance tested gilts were older (+16.0 days), had higher DFI (+0.30 kg/day) and ADG (+0.056 kg/day), poorer FE (+0.31 g/g), higher ABFT (+1.12 cm), BL (+6.19 cm), SH (+2.72 cm), and RH (+3.35 cm). Landrace gilts were younger (-1.3 days) and had lower DFI (-0.03 kg/day) than Large White gilts.